The other week I was delivering our Safe Roads 101 course for the Victorian Government, and we were discussing how roadside safety has evolved. One topic was why Austroads no longer relies on the traditional concept of a “clear zone”.
Modern Safe System thinking recognises that vehicles involved in run-off-road event can travel much further from the edge line than the historical clear zone distances. That’s one reason there is now a much greater emphasis on forgiving roadsides and continuous safety barriers.
One participant asked an interesting question:
“Is that because vehicles can leave the road with the cruise control still engaged?”
The consensus was that most modern vehicles will disengage cruise control when they leave the road or detect instability. However, older systems were often much simpler.
This video from the US appears to show exactly that. After the driver suffers a medical episode, the vehicle continues travelling at speed with the cruise control apparently still engaged, leaving the roadway and travelling a considerable distance before the driver re-takes control.
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