Eighty-five percent of the people who contributed to a survey by the SaveLife Foundation on distracted driving confirmed that they do dial numbers on their phones when driving. Since distracted driving when using mobile phones is one of the leading reasons for accidents on Indian roads, these people tend to risk their lives and the lives of other road users, whether fellow drivers or pedestrians. Although being received with varying opinions, adaptive cruise control promises to make roads safer by reducing the number of road accidents caused by distracted drivers. In fact, it is one of the many stepping stones to having completely autonomous traffic in the future, with many companies adopting the technology in their cars. Here are some details to help you grasp the adaptive cruise control concept.
Adaptive cruise control is the 2.0 version of conventional cruise control
The conventional cruise control, which has been around for quite some time now, is a simple system that allows drivers to adjust their vehicle’s throttle without having to use the gas pedal. While it enhances the fuel economy on highways, the drivers still need to be alert in identifying the moves of other drivers on the same highway. Adaptive cruise control is similar to this system with a few added perks. Unlike the conventional systems, it uses laser or radar sensors to identify the presence of other cars and react accordingly.
For example, in a scenario where the driver has set the crcruise controluise control to a certain speed on the highway, the sensors are likely to identify any changes in speed of the vehicles ahead. Instead of the driver having to adjust their vehicle’s speed manually, the adaptive cruise control system will slow down the vehicle, or even activate its brakes. This innovation, therefore, makes driving on highways safer.
It is safer than the conventional cruise control systems
Although cruise control allows the drivers to adjust their speed in highway traffic, there is a chance that most distracted drivers might fail to stop their vehicles in time, therefore, causing an accident. This is especially true since mistakes made by drivers cause 90% of road accidents. Luckily, adaptive cruise control can do the work for such distracted drivers by reacting to the changes in traffic. However, the systems can also reduce the safety of drivers who might over-rely on them without acknowledging the limitations of the systems. For example, a driver who fails to realize that the vehicle will not work perfectly on winding highways will expose themselves to higher chances of accidents. This is because the sensors will register vehicles from both road lanes, making the system react in an undesirable manner.
Adaptive cruise control comes in two categories
Adaptive cruise control can be classified into two categories, depending on the required drive input. These categories are the laser-based and the radar-based cruise control systems. Laser-based cruise control systems use lasers to identify the vehicles that are within the vicinity of the vehicle in question. However, the fact that the lasers are limited to working on vehicles with reflective surfaces, the systems will not work best in case of adverse weather conditions or when the vehicles ahead are dirty.
Radar-based systems, on the other hand, tend to work in adverse weather conditions, regardless of the reflectiveness of the other vehicles. Well, the type of adaptive cruise control you use will depend on the brand of vehicle you use. When buying a car, you’ll want to look at what is offered with the deal. In fact, some brands have enhanced their systems using features like lane departure warning systems, adaptive breaking, and pre-crash technologies.
The world would be much safer if drivers would pay more attention to the roads when driving. Adaptive cruise control is an innovative way to make roads safer in today’s imperfect world. Despite more safety systems being integrated into vehicles, this doesn’t mean that drivers should over-rely on the systems as they are only meant to improve safety on the road.
