Ford’s Adaptive Cruise Control Limits Anxiety and Traffic Jams

    May 13th 2019     Suhail Ajmal

Being stuck in UAE’s traffic jams is definitely stressing and annoying. The long queues in the sweltering heat lead to aggressive driving and road rage. Ford’s Adaptive Cruise Control is the answer to all the woes of UAE drivers. The driver assist technology has just got better with Stop & Go and Lane Centering, minimizing the stress that motorists come across on a daily basis.

Stop and Start Automatically

The most annoying part stuck in a traffic jam is repeated braking, as the cars move at the pace of a snail. Of course, you are sitting comfortably but it is taxing to the brain and you feel more exhausted in this than you do in normal driving.

Ford Stop & Go gives you the liberty to set a cruising speed even in congestion. The radar and camera technology helps the vehicle to maintain a fixed distance between vehicles. It can even come down to a complete stop and speed up again at your preset cruising speed.

“It used to be that drivers could only apply Adaptive Cruise Control when they were cruising at a certain speed,” stated Jamie Rae, Marketing director, Ford Middle East. “But the newly added Stop & Go extends the operating range to 0 km/h, so drivers can now activate it from a stopped position.”

Adjust Vehicle Speed and Lane Centring Automatically

As the name suggests, Ford’s Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go and Lane Centring keeps your vehicle in the center of the lane, in addition to automatically restart and regulate your vehicle’s speed to keep the tempo with the vehicle in front, thus continuing on your defined distance. This way, you don’t have to repeatedly apply the brake and accelerate. You don’t even have to maneuver the steering wheel as the Lane Centering does its job. This makes driving safer and relaxing.

Prevent Traffic Jams

So, how does it prevent traffic jams? Studies suggest that if motorists act wisely to maintain constant speeds and distance between vehicles, we will not witness any roadblocks.  According to a 2018 study carried out by Ford and Vanderbilt University on a simulator, if only one in three motorists employ Ford’s Adaptive Cruise Control, we can eliminate traffic jams to a great extent. Of course, the congestion arises when people tailgate, apply sudden brakes and merge without any indication. By keeping a safe distance between vehicles, we can evade chain reaction of braking cars that occurs when a vehicle decelerates abruptly. Therefore, Ford’s Adaptive Cruise Control does not only cuts stress but also avoids traffic jams.

“Drivers still need to pay attention to ensure they can respond quickly and efficiently when a traffic situation arises. But automated systems, aside from helping relieve stress and provide a safer, calmer environment for drivers, can also improve vehicle flow under certain circumstances,” added Rae.

Do not forget to turn on Ford’s Adaptive Cruise Control if you own the Ford F-150 and Ford Expedition. The Lane Centring tech is accessible on the 2019 Ford Edge, which will launch here next month.