Mom, Dad and two children. Waiting for over two hours in a truck stop on family to give them a ride home. The dad says his back hurts. A brand new Toyota Highlander is now wrecked to total loss. He told me of the accident tonight in Warsaw, Kentucky. Cruise control set on 75 MPH. Coming out of a curve on the interstate, the engine excellerates to its set speed of 75. Atop the heavy rain she goes and out of control. I told him that was entirely too much road speed for driving in the rain. His wife agreed and just smiled. I tend to think the Highlander was her vehicle. Dad says he's not had a accident for over 40 years. Well, there's always just that first time when you damn well know better but, just gotta let that rascal out of the cage ah Dad. If you've ever felt a vehicle hydroplane, you know the danger. 75 MPH in heavy rain. Stupid move. Mom and Dad pulled into the truck stop in a brand new Highlander too. There's didn't have so much as a scratch on it. Because Dad Sr. Has some years experience under his belt. Respect road conditions. Never let your guard down. That's all.

At least nobody got hurt.
I never use cruise control in anything other than dry road conditions.

You have your family with you. Heavy rain. Going into a curve. And you're on cruise control???

I don't think lack of respect is the issue here. There's a lack of something alright but respect wouldn't be it.

Yes, thankfully no one was hurt seriously.
But reports like this make me more tolerant of young people who have never before changed a car tire or encountered certain types of door locks and can’t figure out how they work on their own.

Thoughtless or foolish actions aren’t limited to people of certain ages. (And yes, I have done a few myself.)

quote:

I never use cruise control in anything other than dry road conditions.

Owner's manuals say the same thing. And what do you want to bet the tires were worn out?

I wonder if he had his hazards on? Probably not...

quote:

Originally posted by David Lee:
If you've ever felt a vehicle hydroplane, you know the danger.

Your butts no longer attached to the ground.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
Owner's manuals say the same thing. And what do you want to bet the tires were worn out?

I wouldn’t take that bet. I’m sure a lot of people are driving on crap tires. What else would explain people driving around like there’s snow and ice on the ground when there’s just the slightest bit of drizzle?

One of our secretaries learned this lesson a couple of years ago. She didn't know that heavy rain and cruise control didn't get along. She learned.

quote:

Originally posted by KLGUY:
I never use cruise control in anything other than dry road conditions.

^^^^^ This!!! Never use cruise control when driving in the rain, snow or other hazardous conditions.

Interesting. I have a lot of experience driving (and riding) in these conditions on road and track. I have driven faster, 85-90 mph in the exact same conditions but I was in AWD hatches each time. One had front, center, and rear differentials. The other had a sophisticated torque vectoring awd system that detected wheel slip faster than the mechanical diffs of the prior. Both had tires specifically for rain, that were monsters (Conti DWS or DWS06). But those cars were rally inspired vehicles that were more or less built for those conditions and I had the tires (and skill via instructor led courses, and lots of experience) to match. My AWD truck has a similar torque vectoring AWD system as that last car, with tires to match. In the same conditions I have to back down, due to the weight. The truck will move around on me at say 80 in those conditions but the AWD cars wouldn’t move an inch. Diffs or torque vectoring half shafts would always sort it out.

My AWD truck weighs almost the exact same as that Highlander. Highlander is 4100-4400 pounds and even if it had a trick AWD system and proper rain tires, it’s just too heavy, too top heavy. Believe me I have tried to push my AWD truck like AWD turbo cars of the past and it’s not the same, and I have to drive slower due to the weight of the vehicle. And like people have already said, when I’m hauling the mail in those conditions, CC was never, ever used. You have to feel the road underneath you, and be ready to react and react quickly. I was doing 90 mph one time on the highway in the RS (Focus RS) and hit standing water. I thought my driving finally wrote a check my ass couldn’t catch. I did feel a wheel or two spin up, but the AWD system did its job and so the did the DWS06’s, car never moved but again that car was built for that shit. It just ate it up where a FWD or RWD car would have been doing 360’s. The CUV is not cut out for it.

I would bet too, with all the driver nannies on these things now (My STi and RS had no ADAS), this clown would have been fine with no CC and paying 100% attention. I’m always glued to windscreen/winshield and mirrors in those conditions, radio/audio turned down, 100% ready to react to anything within a moment’s notice. So 100% bet it was down to CC use, slow or no reaction to wheel spin. He could have been playing with his pacifier for all we know.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

quote:

I never use cruise control in anything other than dry road conditions.

Owner's manuals say the same thing. And what do you want to bet the tires were worn out?

Obviously he didn’t read and heed the owners manual.