THE JARGON CONTROL: First there was cruise control - where drivers, tired from the enormous effort involved in maintaining speed using their left foot, could take a well-earned rest and concentrate solely on exercising their arms and eyes.
Adaptive Cruise Control
Now, for those who cannot even concentrate on the monitoring the gap between their car and the vehicle in front, we offer you the adaptive cruise control (ACC).
With ACC the driver can get the car to automatically follow another vehicle at a set distance. ACC maintains that spacing up to a maximum vehicle speed, set by the driver.
Like the warning on the back of all these gadgets, the driver must remain alert to override the system if necessary, if only because they are sorely tempted to fall asleep or let their mind drift considering their input to the driving process rests solely on keeping the car between the hedges.
Monitoring is done using a microwave radar unit or laser transceiver on the front of the vehicle.
The ACC disengages the throttle when required and gives a warning to apply the brakes.
When the lead vehicle changes lanes or exits and the road is clear, the ACC will accelerate to the set speed.