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The Official Car Rental Blog
01 October, 2013 - Peta Daniels Peta Daniels

Hiring a Car With Cruise Control?

Cruise Control

Image Courtesy of hyundai.com

Cruise control is a driving feature that you will either love or hate. There are plenty of positives and negatives regarding it, but at the end of the day, it is up to you whether you wish to use it.

If you are renting a vehicle that comes equipped with cruise control but you not familiar with it, then read on to find out some helpful tips and information to ensure you have an enjoyable driving experience.

What is Cruise Control

Let us start with answering the all-important question, what is cruise control?

To ensure we don't misconstrue the definition, we have sourced the following interpretation from Toyota:

"Cruise control is a system that automatically assists to maintain the vehicle at a set, pre-determined speed. Mostly used for driving on open roads, it is easily disengaged by touching the brake pedal."

Some popular reasons that cruise control is desired by certain drivers include the ability to know you are travelling at the correct speed, allows your concentration to be focused on other aspects of driving, and allows you to rest your feet so you have a more comfortable travel experience.

So if you are guilty of constantly varying your speed or you find setting your foot on the accelerator for lengthy periods of time becomes uncomfortable, then cruise control may be something you find worthwhile when driving.

Check the Driving Manual

Ever heard of the saying, 'if all else fails, read the instructions'? Well, we strongly recommend that you take a few moments to become acquainted with your rental vehicle driving manual to ensure you are comprehensively aware of its driving features prior to embarking on your travel adventures. This is especially important when it comes to using cruise control as its design and operational functions can vary across vehicle makes and models.

To illustrate, some cars may have cruise control as a button on the steering wheel, while others may have it as a lever positioned behind the steering wheel. Furthermore, how you engage and disengage cruise control can also be different between vehicles.

So to eliminate any dramas whilst driving, check out your hire vehicle's driving manual or ask the rental car representative for assistance about cruise control before leaving on your journey.

Find a Spot to Test

Have how it works down pat? Now it is time to put the theory into practice. While it may sound silly, finding a place to test your cruise control is well worth it.

So find a quiet road and get to know how it works, what happens when you accelerate or brake, how to increase or decrease the set speed should you change speed zones.

Better to get a feel for it before using it at 100km per hour with a multitude of other motorists within your immediate surrounds.

Don't Forget

Don't forget that speed zones vary! You will need to amend your pre-determined speed to be in accordance with the outlined speed limit.

Top Tip: Keep an eye out on coastal highways as you will find speeds can vary between 90km per hour and 110km per hour.

Another important tip to note is if you are travelling down an incline, take care as most cruise controls will not automatically decelerate the vehicle to counteract the speed up that will occur.

If All Else Fails... Don't Use It!

Cruise control is a driving feature, so it is not necessarily the best option for all drivers.

A good rule to follow is if you have tried it and find you don't like it, then don't use it.

Only drive in a way that makes you feel comfortable and allows you to operate your vehicle in a manner that won't endanger your life or the lives of others.

Travel safe!