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Old people shouldn’t drive with cruise control turned on

The other day, Web Watch was talking with some older relatives about a recent checkup that they had with their doctor.

Health-wise, everything’s fine… but when the doctor asked if they had made any lifestyle changes in the past year, they said that they had made one change: they’ve stopped using their car’s cruise control feature.

ManVentions: From Cruise Control to Cordless Drills - Inventions Men Can't Live Without
ManVentions:
From Cruise Control to Cordless Drills – Inventions Men Can’t Live Without

Now, Web Watch is a big fan of the ol’ cruise control – especially on those long car trips, being able to set the vehicle’s speed to a reasonable level not only provides the best gas mileage possibilities, but also allows the driver to have one less thing to concentrate on over those extended hours of driving.   If all the driver needs to worry about is not running into anything rather than not running into anything + maintaining a constant speed, then the ride just becomes that much more relaxing for all involved.

The doctor thought for a moment, then responded that NOT USING CRUISE CONTROL is what he is recommending to all of his older patients.

Car manufacturers have recognized this health shift, and have started incorporating ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL into some of their higher-end vehicles.

What adaptive cruise control does is provide some additional features that will assist inattentive drivers OR drivers with slower reflexes be able to avoid getting into potentially dangerous situations.

The key differences between regular cruise control and adaptive cruise control is that an adaptive model has the driver set a minimum distance to maintain between the driver and the vehicle in front of them.  Using a system of lasers and cameras, the car will slow down appropriately if that minimum distance begins to shrink.

Also, if the driver needs to apply brakes, the adaptive cruise control system may offer an audible warning as well.

It’s true that older drivers may not be able to react as quickly as they used to be able to.  Taking away driving privileges may not be the necessary for many — but adding features such as adaptive cruise control is definitely a step to assist those drivers who may need a little extra help in specific situations.