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Cruise control (also known as speed control, cruise command, autocruise, or tempomat) is a system that automatically controls the speed of an automobile. The system is a servomechanism that takes over the car's throttle to maintain a steady speed set by the driver.
In combined-function installations, the lights produce brighter red light as stop lights and dimmer red light as rear position lights. Regulations worldwide stipulate minimum intensity ratios between the bright (stop) and dim (position) modes, so that a vehicle displaying rear position lights will not be mistakenly interpreted as showing stop ...
Early cars had a hand lever to control the throttle, either directly, or by controlling an engine speed governor which in turn controlled both the throttle and timing. [6] In 1900 the Wilson-Pilcher car was introduced in Britain which had a hand controlled speed governor, and a foot throttle which could override the action of the governor.
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 19 February 2025. Signaling device to control competing flows of traffic This article is about lights used for signalling. For other uses, see Traffic light (disambiguation). "Stoplight" redirects here. For other uses, see Stoplight (disambiguation). An LED 50- watt traffic light in Portsmouth, United ...
Lights are timed in such a way that motorists can drive through without stopping if their speed is lower than a given limit, mostly 50 km/h (30 mph) in urban areas. This system is known as "grüne Welle" in German, "vague verte" in French, or "groene golf" in Dutch (English: "green wave"). Such systems were commonly used in urban areas of the ...
Speed appropriate to the hazard being approached, attained via explicit braking or throttle control (engine braking), always being able to stop in the distance you can see to be clear on your side of the road; Gear appropriate for maximum vehicle control through the hazard, selected in one shift; and; Acceleration for clearing the hazard safely.
Unlike other dynamic control signals that adjust the timing and phasing of lights according to limits that are set in controller programming, this system combines existing technology with artificial intelligence. The signals communicate with each other and adapt to changing traffic conditions to reduce the amount of time that cars spend idling.
However, these lights sometimes do not detect smaller vehicles such as bikes or motorcycles. Traffic lights that do not service traffic due to non-detection may not meet the federal legal definition adopted by most states for a traffic control signal, which is any device "by which traffic is alternately directed to stop and permitted to proceed".