Anyone smell an Urban Legend here?

[osprey4]

Now that I've gotten this twice, I'm wondering. Ok, there's an element of common sense--not using cruise control in adverse conditions--but flying cars? I'm skeptical.

A 36 year old female had an accident several weeks ago and totaled her car. A resident of Kilgore, Texas, she was traveling between Gladewater & Kilgore. It was raining, though not excessively, when her car suddenly began to hydroplane and literally flew through the air. She was not seriously injured, but very stunned at the sudden occurrence!

When she explained to the highway patrolman what had happened, he told her something that every driver should know - NEVER DRIVE IN THE RAIN WITH YOUR CRUISE CONTROL ON. She thought she was being cautious by setting the cruise control and maintaining a safe, consistent speed in the rain. But the highway patrolman told her that if the cruise control is on and your car begins to hydroplane - when your tires loose contact with the pavement - your car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed and you take off like an airplane. She told the patrolman that was exactly what had occurred.

We all know you have little or no control over a car when it begins to hydroplane. You are at the mercy of the Good Lord. The highway patrol estimated her car was actually traveling through the air at 10 to 15 miles per hour faster than the speed set on the cruise control.

The patrolman said this warning should be listed, on the drivers seat sun visor _ NEVER USE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE PAVEMENT IS WET OR ICY - along with the airbag warning.

We tell our teenagers to set the cruise control and drive a safe speed, but we don't tell them to use the cruise control only when the pavement is dry. The only person the accident victim found who knew this (besides the patrolman) was a man who had had a similar accident, totaled his car and sustained severe injuries.

[Prexaspes]

Took right off like an airplane, eh?

She wasn't driving the new Ford Airfoil, was she?

[Theophylact]

According to Snopes, true.

[samwichse]

This is an example to me of how a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

Sure, it is good advice not to use cruise on a wet road, but then taking that and exaggerating it beyond all proportions by saying it made a car fly through the air and off the air... give me a break.

Unless she had one of those newfangled aerocars we've been hearing about since the late 50's...

Sam

[MTAtech]

You mean like this?
http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin1995-04.html

[osprey4]

LOL!! Now that's gotta be a UL!!

I guess this is an exception to the rule, If you heard by e-mail, it's a hoax.

[Chuckiechan]

I don't think that the cruise control was at fault, but her speed was.

The cruise control measures revolutions of the drive shaft (or something else). If she started to hydroplane, the wheels would have sped up dur to less friction and the cruise control would have let off the gas.

I think the cruise control prevented her from letting off the gas and slowing down when she felt that "oh-oh"...

...especially when it went flying!

[SeanC]

Sounds semi-believable. I could see the car sailing a few centimetres off the ground than hitting then lifting again but FLYING?? No, I don't believe that.

Sean

[Prexaspes]

Hydroplaning may give you the feeling that you are flying because neither steering nor braking/accelerating have any affect on what the car is doing.

Flying? No. Gliding over the surface of water? Sure.

Taking off like an airplane?

That's just not right!

[sharder8]

TRUE!!

When you lose traction, the tires continue to rotate and you go into a hydroplaning state. When you are hydroplaning, you can lose all control of steering and braking. This can cause the car to start to spin (rotate), especially as you start to regain traction on 1 wheel or diagonally. "Taking off" may refer to "taking off" in a different direction than you were going.

Even more dangerous is using cruise control and hitting ice, or "black ice". When in this situation and you hit a piece of gravel or an ice bump, the car will literally "take off" in a different direction.

Those who have lived and driven in the northern states, Cananda, Alaska, ect. know that you never use cruise control in inclimate weather, especially during the winter. Over-passes can be extremely dangerous with frost. The road can be clear and good traction, only to lose traction due to frost on an over-pass.

Harder