Anything that doesn't make the car safer or reduces the envolvement of the driver is bad news in my eyes. Personally I find it very easy to balance the speed on the accelerator pedal. I would be worried about people falling asleep at the wheel and still travelling out of control at full speed.
Smart must have taken the CC off for a reason, probably the same reason they didn't allow Canadians to have CC on their 450.
Of course this is all personal preference. Europeans don't lust after CC like the Americans so I can't even begin to understand the attraction.
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[...] Europeans don't lust after CC like the Americans so I can't even begin to understand the attraction.
Just one example:
Quote:
Hickson to Streeter, North Dakota
There's a well-worn riddle in the Peace Garden State:
Q: How do you turn on the cruise control in North Dakota? A: Jump in the back seat.
There are a lot of very straight roads up here. One in particular, North Dakota Highway 46, is supposedly the straightest of them all -- plumb line straight -- the longest straight road in America. It stretches across 123 miles of north Dakota prairie from Hwy 30 in the west to a nameless county blacktop just past I-29 in the east, a steady 20 miles south of I-94.
Every "straight" road shifts a little bit here and there, bending just a bit around a rock or a tree or making an adjustment to cross a bridge. So does Hwy 46. But this road has a reputation, and it should be held to a higher standard. With this in mind, the best that offers -- its longest straight-as-an-arrow, lock your steering wheel and take a nap stretch -- extends nearly 31 miles, from Gackle to Beaver Creek. Compared to 123 miles that doesn't sound like much, but it's still impressive, especially for a two-lane blacktop.
North Dakota boosters won't like to hear it, but there is one stretch of straight American road that's even longer than ND 46 -- Interstate 80 across the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. It runs bullet-straight east from just past exit 4 almost to mile marker 40, where it makes a slight jog. That's 35 miles. But when you're rocketing across a featureless death zone at 85 mph, it hardly seems that far. Much better to cruise at 65 on Hwy 46, and savor the trajectory. Note: This kind of civic claim brings out the best map zealots, and we've heard from two -- RVing Instructors Dave and Sandy Baleria. Their map software indicates that this stretch of ND 46 is only 27 miles long. Our mistake may have been actually driving this highway, when the car odometer clocked nearly 31 miles of straightness. Which is more trustworthy: the analog vehicle on the ground or the digital satellite in the sky? The "America's Longest Straight Road" assertion was in the official North Dakota tourism literature at the time.
Most Europeans aren't driving nearly 800 miles for a weekend car Rally, 100 miles to and from work, or 600 miles to visit relatives! Those that are, are driving Audi A6's or A8's, Range Rovers, Mercedes Benz and BMW's with cruise control. Heck, I even have a hand throttle on my 1959 Series II 109 Regular!!
Steve has posted a pdf of the install instructions on his Area451 forum site. Sorry I can't post a link from here, but it's with the other posts of the installation instructions.
Steve has posted a pdf of the install instructions on his Area451 forum site. Sorry I can't post a link from here, but it's with the other posts of the installation instructions.
Anything that doesn't make the car safer or reduces the envolvement of the driver is bad news in my eyes. Personally I find it very easy to balance the speed on the accelerator pedal. I would be worried about people falling asleep at the wheel and still travelling out of control at full speed.
Kane, the question of safety is one of viewpoint I think. You are correct that it takes away one aspect of driver involvement, which can lead to inattentiveness. But at the same time, it increases driver comfort and reduces driver fatigue, keeping one fresher and capable of being alert. It is like a lot of things - it has a trade off. I personally believe cruise control makes a car and driver more safe, not less so. But the potential for disaster is there. Obviously a driver falling asleep with cruise engaged is worse than doing so without. But that's a bit like arguing a drunk driver is safer with his seatbelt off than on. You shouldn't be driving drunk OR asleep!
Quote:
Smart must have taken the CC off for a reason, probably the same reason they didn't allow Canadians to have CC on their 450.
Marketing. Cost analysis. Short-sightedness... they personally wanted to give me a job selling cruise controls. Lots of reasons, but not safety. If that were the case there would be no cars with cruise here.
Quote:
Of course this is all personal preference. Europeans don't lust after CC like the Americans so I can't even begin to understand the attraction.
Bingo. I've only received a couple of inquiries from Europe and none from the UK.
In high school my drunk friend passed out at the wheel and floored the accelerator. The CHP estimated he was doing over 90mph when he left the road, went into a drainage ditch, popped up the other side, flew over a 5ft fence and landed in someone's front yard. He was fine BTW. Just a cut on his eyebrow. Probably the ass whooping his mom gave him hurt more as it was her car he totaled. Had he been able to set the cruise control to 40mph (the speed limit on the road he was travelling) things might have been different in terms of damage and potential damage.
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