12 minutes ago, mrgf said:

True-to a degree. But think, cc on, driving 70. You se an issue and have to brake. After braking, the cc disconnects. AFTER braking!

 

Now, on the gas, same situation, as soon as I come off gas to brake, car is starting to decelerate. Not by a huge margin but still, it is slowing, not constant.

 

I know someone will say "Yeah, but I will brake before you get off the gas" But I think this most unlikely unless you drive with your foot right above the brake pedal anyway. this in itself will cause fatigue and also, occasionally, a mis-brake due to human nature. (Similar to keeping hand on signal lever when anticipating a manoeuvre makes someone more likely to signal when they don't actually mean to).

So, you have your foot on the floor. It will most likely take as long er possibly longer, to start the braking process, depending on exactly where you place your foot. Wont be quicker though!

 

Being on the gas also means you can instantly INCREASE your speed, which can often help PREVENT an accident!

Ok, a modest engined vehicle, in fifth gear travelling at 70 will not speed up quick but in third at 40, could help. A lot. 

 

I am not saying cc is unhelpful but as with all modern tech, it can also be mis-used and often, it is giving a driver a false sense of safety, where the driver then takes larger risks. 

Many people recon automatics are more relaxing and so are safer. If they were safer, insurance companies would give bigger deals for auto's, they don't though! Many think manuals are safer as they engage you more and focus the driver. If this was true, THEY would have lower premiums so its not all cut and dried, so to speak. 

 

I do wonder if insurance companies collate information about accidents and whether cc was being used or not, at the time. The problem here is, not all cars have it fitted anyway so its such a nightmare scenario to determine if its a safety feature or purely a comfort one. 

 

So, basically, its "Each to their own", As the saying goes. 

 

Oh-and if you see using the gas pedal as a low level function, no disrespect but I am glad you live well away from me!

Cruise control disengages as soon as the brake pedal switch is activated: the switch is right at the top of the pedal travel so even the lightest touch on the pedal disengages CC. It's how I usually disengage it when approaching the off-ramp to leave the motorway.

1 hour ago, chimaera said:

Cruise control disengages as soon as the brake pedal switch is activated: the switch is right at the top of the pedal travel so even the lightest touch on the pedal disengages CC. It's how I usually disengage it when approaching the off-ramp to leave the motorway.

 

Can't you turn off CC from the stalk?

 

I normally disengage the CC using the stalk, unless I need to brake suddenly. This avoids the quick flash of brake lights and reduces brake wear (granted, by a small fraction).

11 minutes ago, petrolbloke said:

 

Can't you turn off CC from the stalk?

 

I normally disengage the CC using the stalk, unless I need to brake suddenly. This avoids the quick flash of brake lights and reduces brake wear (granted, by a small fraction).

Yes, but it's a lot more fiddly than a light tap of the brake pedal.

Any plonker with CC on when the '4*oC' or lower 'frost warning is showing and going along and thinking 'o' sh!t this is black ice' maybe best not tap the brake pedal.

 

As it is the 4*oC or lower frost warning is Air Temp, 

the road surface / Ground / Grass Temp can be 4 or 5 *oC lower.    Or Ground / road temp can be higher than Air Temp.

 

Maybe Skoda would be simply Clever if the CC was disabled as the 'Frost Warning' was activated.

Edited 9 January, 20197 yr by Skoffski

3 minutes ago, Skoffski said:

Maybe Skoda would be simply Clever if the CC was disabled as the 'Frost Warning' was activated.

 

There are plenty of times it's below 4'C and perfectly safe to use CC...

Obviously.  Lovely dry cool nights, fresh air, great driving roads.  Good traction, correct tyres etc.   No black ice.  Roads not much lower than air temp,  black ice in dips.

 But then people need to think.    Maybe override it being inhibited.   As they over ride Stop / Start.  

3 hours ago, mrgf said:

in third at 40

Why are you still in 3rd gear at 40mph (unless accelerating, when CC doesn't seem to apply)?

3 hours ago, mrgf said:

Being on the gas also means you can instantly INCREASE your speed, which can often help PREVENT an accident!

Ok, a modest engined vehicle, in fifth gear travelling at 70 will not speed up quick but in third at 40, could help. A lot.

I should also have mentioned that cruise doesn't disable the accelerator pedal: if you need to go faster for a bit just hit the pedal. Once you release the pedal, the car will settle itself back down at the set speed.

 

I suspect from what you've written here that you have never familiarised yourself with how the technology is implemented, and are working off assumptions about it that are wide of the mark.

18 hours ago, KenONeill said:

Why are you still in 3rd gear at 40mph (unless accelerating, when CC doesn't seem to apply)?

My car is very happy in third gear at this speed and if driving country roads, I would expect to be in this gear, to increase and decrease speed with varying road conditions! I do this for a living so I do know when I am in the correct gear for the situation!

18 hours ago, chimaera said:

I should also have mentioned that cruise doesn't disable the accelerator pedal: if you need to go faster for a bit just hit the pedal. Once you release the pedal, the car will settle itself back down at the set speed.

 

I suspect from what you've written here that you have never familiarised yourself with how the technology is implemented, and are working off assumptions about it that are wide of the mark.

Again, you are missing MY point. Your foot is on the floor, relaxed. Mine is on the gas. Who do you think ill increase speed first, you or me? If you think it is you, then good luck to you. As I mentioned in the above post, I do this for a living so I am confident that I will accelerate quicker and slow down quicker WITHOUT cc then with it. I am not suggesting there is no place for its use but like all technology, it can also be mis-used and a lazy driver will almost certainly take the easy option of using it if they feel like it, probably in instances where to use it MIGHT be unsuitable. I am fully aware that the accelerator being pressed will allow you to speed up and then the vehicle will revert to the set speed so I think you are the assumption maker here, not me. I am saying I would prefer not to use it, never felt the need to and in SOME circumstances, believe it COULD be a greater hindrance then a help!

 

The funny thing is, someone mentioned drivers speeding up and slowing down at random, this is almost as likely when using cc as, as you said, hit the gas, you speed up, then off the gas (Which is where you will start to feel happy) You will slow back down. This difference will all depend on where you set the cc. Set it at say, 65mph and drive, accelerate to 80mph in order to overtake safely and then back off, you will slow down again by 15mph! Granted you won't keep slowing but it is still a fairly likely scenario of random speed change.

 

Where do you drive, where speed is constant anyway? I have been driving for 40 years, teaching for 12 and have never seen traffic drive at constant speed, at least not for any real distance!

 

Each to their own but as I said, I prefer to control my speed manually.

 

Oh, by the way, the guy in the BMW who collided with me a year or so ago, was using cc, on a 40mph dual carriageway, which went round a tight bend, through a small tunnel, (A12) when his lane suddenly slowed to a stop and he tried to swap lanes, hitting me right up the rear end!

 

Of course, I can't prove the cc was a factor in him not stopping in time, etc but it cannot be dis-proved, either. His insurance company admitted liability and paid up very quick, though!

1 hour ago, mrgf said:

My car is very happy in third gear at this speed and if driving country roads, I would expect to be in this gear, to increase and decrease speed with varying road conditions! I do this for a living so I do know when I am in the correct gear for the situation!

Apparently not, since you seem to think that 3rd gear is appropriate for driving at steady speeds above 30mph.

My car is geared to suit this speed. It will sit perfectly happy at this speed in third. That is not to say it would be more economical then in fourth.

It will also sit at 30, all day long in third. It is the Greenline model and the gearing was altered from the standard Fabia, especially for this model. 

If you are gonna chew my ass, at least check you are correct first!

When I went on a speed awareness course in 2003 as it was an alternative to 6 points (still got 3 points though) as well as the classroom session there was a driving session. This was in a Suzuki Wagon R+, and the "expert driver" was adamant that we should drive in 3rd gear in 30mph limits - until we all pointed out that while that might be appropriate in a low powered car like the Suzuki Wagon R+ we all drove cars with 400bhp plus (which is partly why we could have got 6 points ) and if we sneezed while driving at 30mph in 3rd gear and our foot pressed down on the accelerator pedal (which is what usually happens...) by the time the sneeze had finished our cars would have accelerated to substantially over 30mph! The car I then drove had such a wide torque and power band that it was "happy" at 30mph in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and even 6th gear - but being happy is not the same thing as being appropriate.

 

So I would suggest that 3rd gear at 30mph is appropriate for some cars, but definitely not for all cars.

Edited 10 January, 20197 yr by PetrolDave

Suzuki Wagon R+ had / have a cracking wee revvy engine.   Nippy things, what a shame it was being killed in 3rd. 

8 hours ago, mrgf said:

Again, you are missing MY point. Your foot is on the floor, relaxed. Mine is on the gas. Who do you think ill increase speed first, you or me? If you think it is you, then good luck to you. As I mentioned in the above post, I do this for a living so I am confident that I will accelerate quicker and slow down quicker WITHOUT cc then with it. I am not suggesting there is no place for its use but like all technology, it can also be mis-used and a lazy driver will almost certainly take the easy option of using it if they feel like it, probably in instances where to use it MIGHT be unsuitable. I am fully aware that the accelerator being pressed will allow you to speed up and then the vehicle will revert to the set speed so I think you are the assumption maker here, not me. I am saying I would prefer not to use it, never felt the need to and in SOME circumstances, believe it COULD be a greater hindrance then a help!

 

The funny thing is, someone mentioned drivers speeding up and slowing down at random, this is almost as likely when using cc as, as you said, hit the gas, you speed up, then off the gas (Which is where you will start to feel happy) You will slow back down. This difference will all depend on where you set the cc. Set it at say, 65mph and drive, accelerate to 80mph in order to overtake safely and then back off, you will slow down again by 15mph! Granted you won't keep slowing but it is still a fairly likely scenario of random speed change.

 

Where do you drive, where speed is constant anyway? I have been driving for 40 years, teaching for 12 and have never seen traffic drive at constant speed, at least not for any real distance!

The WHOLE POINT of cruise control is that it allows you to hold a fixed speed without worrying about holding your foot on the pedal for long periods. The random speeding up/slowing down I referred to earlier is when other drivers' attention drifts and they stop paying attention to their speed. It's very common on the motorway to see someone pass me at around 130 km/h and 5 minutes later I'm passing them out because they've drifted back down to around 110. There's also the people who slow down up hills and speed back up on the way down, especially smaller engined cars that don't have the power to maintain progress up the hill.

 

The cruise control system is extremely good at holding the set speed, so if it's set to 120, it'll hold 120 for as long as I want it to irrespective of inclines, etc. especially with the 170 bhp my car has.

 

My right foot is usually resting gently against the pedal because that's most comfortable (there's no right foot rest provided) so I can get to the pedal quickly if I need it, but it's vanishingly rare to need to speed up quickly, and if you're anticipating traffic properly you won't need to get at the brakes in a hurry either.

 

I think you're assuming I'd use it in heavy traffic and if you are you're very wide of the mark. That's a pretty terrible idea, and it's even pointed out in the owner's manual not to do that.

 

I go on plenty of journeys where I'd be on cruise control nearly the whole way e.g. if I'm heading to Dublin from here, I'll get on the motorway 5 minutes from my house, set cruise to 120 km/h and the only time I'll knock it off in the next 200 km is for the toll plaza halfway up, unless traffic is unusually bad.

 

The other situation I'll commonly use cruise in is the long 50 or 60 km/h zones outside towns and villages which police are very fond of setting up speed traps in. The concentration needed to stay under 50 or 60 is better used watching for pedestrians and other traffic while the cruise control system does the job of keeping my licence safe.

 

As for it being lazy to use cruise control, you should do some reading on human factors in health and safety, especially around ergonomics and human machine interfaces. There have been many serious incidents resulting from the human operator being over-taxed with too much information or too many controls. It's always better to take the cognitive load off where it's possible and safe to do so as it releases mental bandwidth for the operator to use on more important tasks. I can give you some examples from the troubleshooting class I teach to final year chemical engineering students if you like.

Another CC option I've used on occasions mainly in heavy rain is the max speed setting. Depending on the conditions I set at 50 or lower on the motorway , the car slows down once taking the foot off the peddle. Especially useful on works sections on the mway. 

How many know if and use it?

 

Could be described as a dead man's switch once you your off the accelerator your coating and slowing down.

Edited 10 January, 20197 yr by Kenrw8

The issue with that are situations where you need to accelerate above the set speed. 

 

As posted in another thread, I was in a 30 zone when an oncoming Kodiaq/Karoq was crossing over into my side of the road due to the owner being more preoccupied with something on the centre console. If I had braked, they would have hit me. That left mounting the pavement or accelerating around him, or face having my vehicle written off. 

 

I put my foot down and accelerated around them. Meanwhile the other vehicle continued to cross into my lane behind me oblivious to the RTC they very nearly caused. 

22 minutes ago, Fin69 said:

The issue with that are situations where you need to accelerate above the set speed. 

 

 

If you floor the pedal, (aka kickdown), the set speed is overridden and you can accelerate beyond the set limit.

 

Its all in the manual......

Fair play to you if you read the manuals for your courtesy vehicles. On this particular occasion I chose not to, especially as during the handover by the Service Staff, they pointed out the controls for the 'Cruise Control'. The first I was aware it wasn't CC, but 'Speed Limiter' was when I appeared to be going backwards on the M74 when I took my foot off the accelerator. 

I don't think speed limiter is available without CC, so you must have pushed the wrong button...

On ‎07‎/‎01‎/‎2019 at 16:16, Sad555 said:

This was the photo that came with the original post

 

That poor tree hope the emergency services treated it with care and respect just standing there when some low flying cruise (missile) controlled car hurls itself at it. Must have hurt the tree quite a bit. Hope Greenpeace sent a group of tree huggers to put elastoplast on any areas which may have sustained injuries.

Edited 11 January, 20197 yr by shyVRS245
missing word

Is it legal for a 14 year old to ride a moped/scooter in the UK and would an insurance company provide cover for such a person? Just wondering because stabbing such a person seems a bit OVERKILL which is surely a MINOR Traffic Offence.

^^^^^^^^ I wonder what the press/news agencies reactions would have been if a 14yr old uninsured moped driver had been involved/caused a fatal accident with a very young child or a very elderly person whilst riding the moped,i do wonder if there would have been so much compassion in the media reports.

7 hours ago, shyVRS245 said:

Is it legal for a 14 year old to ride a moped/scooter in the UK and would an insurance company provide cover for such a person?

No and no. (at least on a public highway)

7 hours ago, shyVRS245 said:

Is it legal for a 14 year old to ride a moped/scooter in the UK and would an insurance company provide cover for such a person? Just wondering because stabbing such a person seems a bit OVERKILL which is surely a MINOR Traffic Offence.

As shyvrs245 said, its not legal to ride a moped (Under 50cc) In the U.K. 

It MAY just be possible to loophole the law if you are from another country where it IS legal and you are here for say, a short break or holiday and are riding the machine from home, with cover from that country that covers foreign usage but still, U.K. legislation may just override this!

I would assume if caught for some reason, one legal team would be arguing one law, a different team another. I would think though, that the original country's insurance company would have a clause mentioning age and other countries, whereby LOCAL law takes precedent!

 

Therefor, if you caused an accident, you'll probably be hit by a ton of legislative action, pulled for a minor infraction, most likely it would go no further.