What are the types of cruise control?

Sixty years after Chrysler introduced the innovation of zero-gas driving, cruise control is standard on most new cars today.

The cruise control operates in almost the same function as it appeared in the Chrysler Imperial in 1958, the first car equipped with it, but the current technological advances have reinvented it, and the “Car and Driver” website presented an overview of its most important types and characteristics.

Traditional only proves speed: The traditional type performs the basic function of the stabilizer without any increase, which is to maintain the speed chosen by the driver in order to relieve the task of continuing to press the accelerator pedal, regardless of the nature of the road and the movement on it.

Adaptive cruise controlMany modern cars are equipped with adaptive cruise control, sometimes called active cruise control. It works in the same way as the traditional cruise control, in addition to its reliance on radar, cameras, or sensors in the front of the cars to monitor the presence of any cars in the same traffic lane in front of the vehicle.

In this case, the device maintains a set distance with the vehicle ahead in the lane, which means it adjusts the speed accordingly. Some types of this category are equipped with the ability to use brakes or even stop completely in cities and automatically resume acceleration without pressing the gas pedal when traffic starts moving again.

Semi-autonomous cruise control:

It is the latest and most advanced cruise control device such as ProPilot Assist in Nissan, Subaru EyeSight in Subaru, and Audi Traffic Jam Assist in Audi, which are driving assistance devices that combine adaptive type and lane keeping devices.

The Lane Keeping Device gently steers the car so that it stays within its lane if it swerves under the driver’s hand. If the driver leaves the steering wheel for a moment, the system beeps.

Some of these semi-autonomous systems, such as those in Tesla and Mercedes-Benz, can shift the car into the adjacent lane while keeping a sufficient distance with other cars on the road.

Regardless of the type of cruise control, the site warned that all these devices do not replace the need for the driver to maintain his attention throughout his journey, noting that they are just auxiliary tools.

The site referred to cases in which these devices malfunctioned or external conditions were interpreted in wrong ways as a result of rain or fog that affected vision, and advised to always be prepared to use the brakes or turn the steering wheel.