Cruise Control Issues

[sxturbo]

Cruise control doesn't stop the brakes from working, even if the accelerator was stuck 2/3rds open the hand brake and hydraulic brakes would have slowed the car.

There was no attempt by the driver to brake or lift off the accelerator prior to the airbags going off. Amazingly 1.5 seconds before the impact the throttle was depressed further suggesting there was no issue.

Either it was suicide or.the guy was a pleb and pressing the accelerator thinking it was the brake. But you would have thought the 8 minutes leading upto the crash since the 999 call he would have noticed he wasn't pressing the correct peddle.

Also cruise control doesn't accelerate the car past it's set point, you have to manually press the throttle to make that happen.

It's really rather fishy circumstances, maybe he owes money and making it seem like an accident rather than Suicide was more acceptable, or noting his ethnicity maybe he had to make it look like an accident so the family he was leaving behind wasn't ostracised from their community.

Whichever way you look at it, seems like Darwin's theory worked in this scenario

Also this story is quite old having been published in 2016.

 

[robinbanks]

Also cruise control doesn't accelerate the car past it's set point

Mmm, but now let's assume the micro switch in the steering wheel/control stick has abruptky failed in the "switch closed" position, so the cruise controller thinks the driver is constantly requesting an accelerate..

 

[sxturbo]

Mmm, but now let's assume the micro switch in the steering wheel/control stick has abruptky failed in the "switch closed" position, so the cruise controller thinks the driver is constantly requesting an accelerate..

It wouldn't though would it, because even if it did the fail safe is that as soon as the brake is touched the cruise switches off, regardless as to whether you were using the speed up button.

Also if you use the accelerator to over ride the cruise control after a period of time (In my car it's around 5 minutes) the cruise function will switch itself off.

Also in the article it clearly showed the accelerator peddle was pressed, and not the speed increase button of the cruise control. The can tell this as cars these days have a separate ECU for everything or they have a portion of the ECU set aside for particular tasks. This would be that the cruise throttle function will be wired to a different part of the ECU and this the ECU processes orders from different switches and sensors around the car

 

[robinbanks]

Not disagreeing with any of what you said, just offering suggestions for how reality might match up with the claims in the article, as unlikely as I think those claims are

 

[Mottie]

I've heard that some people like to drive along on cruise control with their feet off the pedals.

Isn’t that the whole point of cruise control?

 

[Mottie]

I find it hard to believe that eve in IF cruise control got stuck that the driver was unable to use the brakes or the cluthc/gears to bring the car to a stop.

Or even, heaven forbid, switch the car off.

 

[Diver Fred]

Mmm, but now let's assume the micro switch in the steering wheel/control stick has abruptky failed in the "switch closed" position, so the cruise controller thinks the driver is constantly requesting an accelerate..

First real experience of Cruise Control (in a VW group vehicle) was in the USA, late 1990's. The cruise control speed selection was limited to a minimum of 40Kph and a Maximum of 180KPH (25 to 112MPH).

Since then most cars I've owned have been fitted with Cruise Control - all of which drop out of cruise for the slightest reason; not just applying the brake but sudden steering movements, wheel slip from aquaplaning or other loose surface conditions), driving on bumpy roads or verges. about the only reason for CC not to release has been applying more pressure to the accelerator.

Me thinks the car was the first Automatic (2 pedal car) and he pressed the accelerator thinking it was the brake pedal, cause the car didn't slow down he pressed even harder - I know it happens, my grandfather did it with his first auto transmission car, he only hit the garage end wall... Slowly.

 

[Munroast]

Or even, heaven forbid, switch the car off.

In a modern keyless push button thing, would it allow you to switch the engine off whilst in motion? I have never tried, but for instance it won't allow me to engage the hand brake when moving (something I regularly do as it is the same button to wash the windows in my van) I always thought the hand brake was an emergeny thing, clearly not available on the wifes chariot.

Slightly off topic but nearly pranged it a few days ago; Stopped in car park, enginge must have stopped with 'stop start' bolluxs. I opened door to get out, engine restarts and car tries to drive off, manged to jam the brakes on within a mm of the fence. If I had fallen out of the car, it may have made it through the fence, down the bank and went splash along with the wife into the loch - I wouldn't of got my xmas dinner made!

 

[transam]

My LDV van has cruise control only works at 40 mph or above

( manual gear box )

My Transam had cruise control was disconnected years ago before I owned it any way

 

[transam]

To much electronic rubbish on cars now a days imo

Sort of involved in having to get a car through IVA at the moment

A lot of that is a nonsense imo

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Rubbing the car down the barrier would have been preferable to using the back of a lorry to come to rest, but perhaps it would have been best to hold the stop/start button down first

It wasn't clear whether a diesel or a petrol, but a diesel engine can run away, consuming its own engine oil as fuel. Stop/start would not stop that, the only way is to stall the engine.

I once suffered complete brake failure on a downhill and had to scrub the speed off along an hedge. Damage was minimal.

 

[johnny2007]

It seems very likely that he was pressing the gas instead of the brake pedal.
Brakes are totally independent from cruise control and work mechanically, so even if the cc got stuck and accelerating, brakes should've worked.
Also the gearbox is independent from cc and when in neutral it doesn't keep pulling the car.
Something is not right in that story.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Also cruise control doesn't accelerate the car past it's set point, you have to manually press the throttle to make that happen.

Yes, except the speedo was only showing it was doing 70, yet going much faster. Cruise makes use of the same ABS speed signal as the speedo, which might explain that.

It's really rather fishy circumstances, maybe he owes money and making it seem like an accident rather than Suicide was more acceptable, or noting his ethnicity maybe he had to make it look like an accident so the family he was leaving behind wasn't ostracised from their community.

Fishy, is right.

 

[Trazor]

Slightly off topic but nearly pranged it a few days ago; Stopped in car park, enginge must have stopped with 'stop start' bolluxs. I opened door to get out, engine restarts and car tries to drive off, manged to jam the brakes on within a mm of the fence. If I had fallen out of the car, it may have made it through the fence, down the bank and went splash along with the wife into the loch - I wouldn't of got my xmas dinner made!

My wifes Evoque will not move with a door open, nice safety touch.

 

[johnny2007]

My wifes Evoque will not move with a door open, nice safety touch.

Same as Audi