Now that you are not allowed to drive more than 30 km/h in more and more urban areas, it seems tempting to use cruise control there too. Certainly the adaptive cruise control that automatically accelerates, brakes and keeps your distance can make driving much easier. But not all cars allow you to use the function at such a low speed. Car expert Niek Schenk explains why.
Reader Paul Bakker recently contacted me with the following message. “I have a question about all the discussions about introducing a speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour in cities. I have noticed that in most cars the cruise control does not work below 30 km/h, even in combination with an automatic spacer. In the past I had a car that did allow a setting of 20 km/h. Why have car manufacturers introduced this limitation?”
What he notes is correct: car manufacturers have been trying for years to discourage the use of cruise control in city traffic, for road safety reasons. Therefore, a minimum driving speed was required for a long time. It did differ per car model at what speed you could still use the cruise control.
Assistant for traffic jams
But in the latest car models, the cruise control can indeed handle low driving speeds. It sometimes even works from 0 kilometers per hour. Manufacturers often speak of a traffic jam assistant or stop-and-go function. It is therefore mainly intended for traffic jams on the relatively safe highways and not for city traffic.
Because no matter how good the latest systems are, there is still a risk that the car will react too late if a pedestrian or cyclist suddenly appears in front of the car. In snow or fog, or if the sensors are dirty, malfunctions can also occur in the system, preventing it from taking adequate action to prevent a collision.
There is also the danger that you, as a driver, do not pay enough attention because the car appears to be self-driving. While the cruise control does not stop at a red traffic light or stop sign and does not give other road users priority if necessary. In short, there are still far too many risks. Only the fully self-driving car can change this, but that will take a few years.
Also read:
18 euros per month for seat heating: will we soon pay subscription costs for the options in our car? (+)
New Renault saddles dozens of Flemish people with engine problems. What is going on? “I expect more from a car costing 45,000 euros” (+)
Why the speed on your odometer is not the real speed
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