MrCanary Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 On a car forum that I regularly visit, it has been suggested that the use of a cruise control in Belgium is illegal...Can this be true? I would have thought it was nigh on impossible to enforce a law such as this and, as such, cannot possibly be true... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrCanary Posted September 21, 2009 Author Share Posted September 21, 2009 I've just found an answer to my own question...http://www.channel4.com/4car/news/news-story.jsp?news_id=11766 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 And in only 4 minutes, are you trying to take on Clair? [;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 "It is not clear how the ban will be enforced, though fines are most likely to be imposed on drivers following an accident in which cruise control was judged to be a factor."Well meaning but a ridiculous unfair law, no guesses for who's side of the story is going to be believed [blink]You might as well ban farting ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrCanary Posted September 22, 2009 Author Share Posted September 22, 2009 Théière - I've never actually seen any pictures of Clair, but I'm sure I wouldn't mind taking her on...LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 [quote user="Mel"]Théière - I've never actually seen any pictures of Clair, but I'm sure I wouldn't mind taking her on...LOL![/quote]Big talk, Mel! [:-))] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrCanary Posted September 22, 2009 Author Share Posted September 22, 2009 Yup - I guess you are right, Clair...But we men do dream a lot you know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 More like a nightmare if you ask Mr Clair!! [:P][;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrCanary Posted September 22, 2009 Author Share Posted September 22, 2009 Mrs Mel probably thinks similar about me - but she just loves my cooking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 This thread reminds me of an incident a few years back involving cruise control. It was a Renault driver on the autoroute who actually phoned the police and told them that he couldn't get his car out of cruise control and he was doing 130 kph! He travelled over 100 Km before they managed to stop him. What the hell was the problem with just turning the ignition key, nt taking it out and letting the car stop itself. While the engine is turning the pump for the steering/brakes is still turning, so just leave it in gear and turn the ignition off!Again on a very similar subject Toyota are recalling something like 1.3 million cars in the States because a floor mat makes the accelerater sticks down. So far they recon it's killed 5 people and caused 17 crashes. In one incident a State Trooper and his family were killed at 115 mph! So very sad.. Once again, why didn't he turn the ignition off?Sorry, hijack of thread over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sid Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 JonzjobMany Renaults don't have an ignition key as such, mine is one. You must have seen them, they use a hands-free card, and the card need only be on one's person in order to be able to start the car via a push button. The electronic control system won't allow the engine to be turned off if the car is still moving. (Yes, I've tried it!!). So that possibly explains that query. BUT what's wrong with just pushing the gearstick into neutral and coasting to a stop? And in any case I think you could press the footbrake hard enough to cause the car to slow down and stall ! This has all the characteristics of one of those 'urban legends' !Sid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 So some bright spark designs a car with a card (yes i have hired one of those) with a start button but forgot a stop button [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickles Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 [quote user="sid"]BUT what's wrong with just pushing the gearstick into neutral and coasting to a stop?[/quote]As the car slows down, the cruise control will increase the engine speed to the red line in an attempt to maintain the set cruise speed. I think a lot of people would find that at the least disconcerting, if not downright frightening if they were not prepared for it (which would be the case for many). If you are prepared for it though, the effect of any damage to the engine redlining whilst you stop and get away would be preferable to driving into something.[quote user="sid"]And in any case I think you could press the footbrake hard enough to cause the car to slow down and stall ![/quote]I suppose it depends on the torque of the engine vs the capabilities of your brake linings: if the linings burn out before the engine stalls, you are in trouble. At lower speeds this ought to be possible.[quote user="sid"]This has all the characteristics of one of those 'urban legends' ![/quote]There have been a couple of high-profile cases of chases down the motorway of vehicles (in one case a lorry?) supposedly with cruise control "stuck on," which on subsequent investigation were believed to have been hoaxes.There was a case a few months ago in France where a car went into a péage queue at high speed with the cruise control still on which led to signs on the illuminated roadside message boards telling people to switch off cruise control on the approach to a péage: however in this case it is not yet clear whether the driver was asleep/suicidal/there really was a cruise control defect.RegardsPickles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Having just come back from Belgium yet again, I would say that the awful state of repair of some main roads in Wallonia makes the use of cruise control dangerous as you constantly need to change speed to suit new hazards. Additionally the excessively crowded nature of some of the two lane motorways would make the use of cruise control ill advised. But I saw no evidence that it has actually been banned except in some areas, such as tunnels.By the way, Wallonia wants to introduce a road charging scheme, similar to the windscreen sticker used in Switzedland. Bloody cheek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickles Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 [quote user="woolybanana"]By the way, Wallonia wants to introduce a road charging scheme, similar to the windscreen sticker used in Switzedland. Bloody cheek[/quote]To be honest, I think that the UK should adopt a similar system and get rid of VRT. Just think about it for a second: Belgium has a large problem because its roads are being used by a lot of transit traffic that does not contribute to their upkeep: a vignette-type system that applies to all traffic - domestic and international - would be in line with EU rules and would ensure that users contribute fairly. In the UK, hauliers complain incessantly about foreign-registered vehicles which have cabotage rights (ie can pick up and drop loads whose journeys are entirely within the UK) but don't face the VRT costs that UK-based hauliers face, and allegedly come over with long-range fuel tanks filled up with cheaper fuel from abroad, hence making no contribution to the upkeep of the roads which they are using whilst having a lower cost base than the UK-based companies = arguably unfair competition. Austria also has such a system ... Switzerland (IIRC) requires transit traffic to travel across Switzerland on specially-adapted trains...RegardsPickles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 The vignette is for cars as far as I know. Trucks were supposed to be excluded from the scheme; And anyway, they could not make just foreign trucks pay and the Belgian hauliers might have something to say if it were imposed on them.If they stopped lighting motorways at night and if political corruption and layers of unnecessary government were removed, Wallonia would be as rich as Flanders and the thing would not be needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Coeur de Lion Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Knowing the UK, they'll do something like that and still keep the road tax too, the greedy buggers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 [quote user="Théière"]So some bright spark designs a car with a card (yes i have hired one of those) with a start button but forgot a stop button [:)][/quote]Obviously the designer took his inspiration from Microsoft.'Press Start to Stop' [6] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Completely agree with WoolyB re state of Belgium motorways (and roads in general). I hope they don't start charging by the Hour as when I had to make an urgent trip back recently I had many hours to enjoy looking at the countryside stuck in a 2-lane jam for miles.I've only seen 'No cruise Control' on Belgium autoroutes when they've had one of their many long contraflow sections due to road works (the E411 is a prime example) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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