Cruise Control Switch
Cruise control comes as a standard feature in many new cars and relatively modern used cars. Pioneered in the luxury car market, cruise control is a simple system designed to moderate and limit your driving speed independently from the amount of pressure that you apply to the accelerator. In practical terms, it allows you to maintain a speed regardless of how strongly you're pressing on the accelerator. In order to cancel the cruise control, you simply press gradually on the vehicle brake until the system is deactivated. Cruise control switches should control the basic on/off functions of your cruise control system, however some systems allow you to set additional variables including the cruise speed, variable speed control, and activate some additional features designed to make your long distance touring experience more comfortable.
The primary purpose of cruise control is to minimise the physical requirements of a long distance car trip. The switch is especially useful on long, straight highway roads, particularly those that run through the western United States and on major highways in Europe. When you're on a road that requires minimal driving control, it's much more simple to just activate your car's cruise control function than it is to constantly monitor and control your driving speed using the accelerator pedal, and using the system can considerably cut down your driving fatigue and tiredness levels.
The construction of a cruise control switch is very simple. Generally, the switch will simply control the on/off functions of your car's cruise control system. To set the cruise control speed, simply allow your car to maintain a certain speed while you activate the cruise control button. Once the system is activated, you can remove your foot from the vehicle accelerator and let the vehicle control the travel speed automatically. To cancel the system, you simply need to either apply pressure to your accelerator throttle or apply pressure to the brake pedal. These actions depend on the car you're handling, and it's best to experiment with them at a slow speed before you set your cruise control at highway speeds. Best to understand the basic functions before setting out to use them in a high speed situation, as with all car gadgets.
Some more advanced car cruise control functions include the ability to change driving speed and acceleration levels by using digital displays and adjustable dials. While this feature is uncommon in lower end or less modern cars, it's becoming more and more common in luxury and brand new cars. Don't worry if your car doesn't have this system, as you can still easily control your cruise control speed by using the accelerator pedals and the on/off switch. While these systems offer greater customization and preferential settings, they really don't offer that many more features than a standard cruise control switch, and aren't a necessity.
What makes a cruise control system and switch so important? It all comes down to your driving style and frequently driven routes. If you frequently drive long distances and through very straight and simple roads, a cruise control system can massively reduce the amount of effort required to drive your car at a constant speed. Instead of constantly monitoring your driving speed, you can easily control your speed and travel in comfort and ease.
However, if you primarily drive in traffic, or on heavily twisty or crowded roads, cruise control shouldn't be a high priority for you when searching for a new car. As the primary purpose of cruise control is to allow you to travel at speed comfortably without having to control your acceleration, it's best used on flat and simple roads. On cornered roads, you're constantly changing your acceleration level and applying light braking. This means that cruise control isn't an ideal function. Similarly, in traffic you're always changing your accelerator pressure, making cruise control an unnecessary feature.
