Ford MyKey helps parents get a handle on unruly teens
By Dave Jeyes
Ford is releasing a new option for its 2010 model year that allows parents to set limits for their teenage drivers by embedding their preferences on a chip in the key. How does MyKey help to make the roads safer for teens and other drivers?
MyKey allows parents to load safety preferences onto the key that help curb classic unsafe teenage driving behavior like speeding and spinning car tires. The new option can also limit stereo volume to limit distractions that can cause accidents.
Here is a rundown of MyKey’s options:
- Alert every 6 seconds that the driver’s safety belt is unbuckled
- Limit top speed to 80 miles per hour
- Set off speed warning alerts at 45, 55 or 65 miles per hour
- Limit stereo volume to 44% of maximum
- Traction control cannot be disabled
- Optional blind spot detection cannot be disabled
- Earlier low-fuel warning
The MyKey forces teens to abide by generally accepted safety precautions when driving. It does not limit teens’ ability to maneuver the car or limit where they can go.
By helping to ensure that young drivers are driving at safe speeds and by limiting distractions, Ford hopes to prevent drivers from getting into accidents. Requiring safety belts should also help to lessen teen fatalities in MyKey-equipped vehicles.
MyKey will be a standard feature starting in the 2010 Ford Focus. It will also be an optional package in other Ford cars starting next year.
Ford’s approach isn’t nearly as invasive as other aftermarket products that track teen driving. Other products use a GPS receiver to alert parents to their teen driver’s whereabouts and record every time the teen exceeds a certain speed.
Nevertheless, teenagers are not likely to be enthusiastic about having these limitations built into their vehicles. Ford’s stance is that they are not terribly invasive and only aim to discourage unsafe behavior. However, with the parents holding the purse strings, it will be up to them to decide whether to enable these protections.
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