Posted by Hugh Nations Signing Agents of Austin on 8/13/07 11:39pm
Msg #205374

Be careful out there

The following is probably not a true account. It does, however, carry a very real warning, as Snopes.com verifies, for anyone who spends much time on the road -- read "signing agent."

I wonder how many people know about this? A 36 year old female had an
accident several weeks ago and Totaled her car. A resident of Kilgore ,
Texas she was traveling between Gladewater & Kilgore. It was raining,
though
not excessively, when her car suddenly began to hydro-plane and
literally
flew through the air. She was not seriously injured but very stunned at
the
sudden occurrence!

When she explained to the highway patrolman what had happened he told
her
something that every driver should know - NEVER DRIVE IN THE RAIN WITH
YOUR
CRUISE CONTROL ON . She thought she was being cautious by setting the
cruise
control and maintaining a safe consistent speed in the rain.

But the highway patrolman told her that if the cruise control is on when
your car begins to hydro-plane and your tires lose contact with the
pavement, your car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed making you
take
off like an airplane. She told the patrolman that was exactly what had
occurred.

The patrolman said this warning should be listed, on the driver's seat
sun-visor - NEVER USE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE PAVEMENT IS WET OR
ICY,
along with the airbag warning. We tell our teenagers to set the cruise
control and drive a safe speed - but we don't tell them to use the
cruise
control only when the pavement is dry.

The only person the accident victim found, who knew this (besides the
patrolman), was a man who had had a similar accident, totaled his car
and
sustained severe injuries.

NOTE: Some vehicles (like the Toyota Sienna Limited XLE) will not allow
you
to set the cruise control when the windshield wipers are on.