What Is Adaptive Cruise Control (Speed Control System). How Does It Work?

This article’s topic will be Adaptive Cruise Control, a feature we frequently see in newer-generation vehicles. What is this system, also known as an adaptive speed control system, how does it work? We’ll cover details like how reliable it is.

What Is Adaptive Cruise Control?

Cruise control, a handy vehicle feature, lets the driver set the speed the vehicle will maintain by pressing a button. Once the button is pressed and the speed is set, the driver no longer needs to press the accelerator pedal. This is a handy function, and in recent years, cruise control has evolved, gaining the ability to adjust the vehicle’s speed based on the car in front (adapting itself to conditions). We call this adaptive cruise control, or adaptive speed control.

How Does Adaptive Cruise Control Work?

Adaptive Cruise Control, or the adaptive speed control system (ACC), works similarly to normal cruise control. The “adaptive” part means your vehicle “adapts” its speed to, or “responds” to, the vehicle ahead of you. Set the speed you want to travel at, and it will maintain that speed.

If the car in front of you slows down, then your car slows down too. If it speeds up, you speed up too. Let’s say you set your speed to 120 km/h and you’re traveling at that speed. You approach the car in front of you, and it’s traveling at 110 km/h. Your vehicle then drops its speed to 110 km/h. When the car in front speeds up and opens up the gap, your vehicle speeds back up and continues at a steady 120 km/h.

So how does ACC do this?

ACC’s ability to adjust your vehicle’s speed is made possible by a radar, LIDAR*, or camera detection system at the front of the vehicle (depending on the technology chosen by the vehicle manufacturer). The sensor adjusts speed based on the following distance, measured in seconds, that you’ve set between yourself and the other car. Typically, you can set your vehicle to stay two, three, or four seconds behind the car you’re following.

*LIDAR: (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), a technology used to determine the distance to an object or surface using laser pulses.

ACC operates in two modes:
1. speed control – your vehicle moves according to the speed you’ve set.
2. distance control – your vehicle tries to maintain the distance from the vehicle ahead.

The Adaptive Cruise Control system decides which mode to operate in based on real-time data coming from the sensors. If the car ahead is too close, ACC exits speed control mode and switches to distance control mode, meaning your vehicle starts to slow down. If the distance to the car ahead increases, your vehicle exits distance control mode and switches to speed control mode.

Adaptive Cruise Control is almost always paired with other safety systems, such as lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, and collision warning that alerts you of a potential collision, and it applies the brakes to protect you from accidents. These are usually marketed as a bundled safety system, depending on the vehicle manufacturer.

How Useful Is Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)?

If you frequently encounter stop-and-go traffic on your daily commute, driving a car with adaptive cruise control can be extremely helpful. In this kind of traffic condition, vehicle speeds change constantly and come to a complete stop without much warning. If a driver loses focus even for a moment, an accident can happen.

Fatigue, boredom, and other distracting factors only serve to increase the risk. Having adaptive cruise control is like having someone else drive the car for you. This is why it’s also a very important piece of technology for the driverless cars we’ll be seeing frequently in the near future.

How Reliable Is Adaptive Cruise Control Technology?

Despite being useful, you should never rely on adaptive cruise control to save you from a potential accident. Adverse weather conditions and other unforeseeable issues can hinder the capabilities of the adaptive speed control system.

If your vehicle has ACC, it’s important to understand its limitations, and make sure you’re only using it as secondary assistance to your own driving. Adaptive cruise control is never a set-it-and-forget-it type of system. You should always stay focused on what’s happening on the road.

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