Coming To A Car/Truck Near You:Ford's MyKey to put limits on drivers

[USAFANG67]

Parents can’t always ride shotgun with their teen-aged drivers. But with Ford’s upcoming MyKey system, they can ride virtual shotgun.

With MyKey, parents can program the car’s control computers to set limits on drivers, and maintain safety systems.

Among the items controlled by the key:

-- Max speed is limited to 80 miles per hour, and warning chimes can sound at 45, 55 and 65 miles per hour.

-- The seat belt warning chime sounds, and the radio is muted, until the belt is buckled.

-- The low fuel warning comes on with 75 miles remaining, instead of the usual 50 miles.

-- Radio volume limited to 44 percent of maximum.

-- And safety technologies such as traction control and blind spot detection cannot be deactivated.

Ford says the MyKey will be standard on the 2010 Focus that goes on sale next year, and will be optional on many other of the automaker’s products.

No word, yet, on whether they may add back seat moisture sensors to the system -- you know, for parents’ peace of mind.

[sexy6chick]

Originally Posted by USAFANG67

-- Max speed is limited to 80 miles per hour, and warning chimes can sound at 45, 55 and 65 miles per hour.

Ford says the MyKey will be standard on the 2010 Focus that goes on sale next year, and will be optional on many other of the automaker’s products.

I don't even think the Focus can do 80 mph lol.

[prospect85]

All this is just setting up "THE MAN" to ease into our private *cough* lives.

[jjski78]

I think it's a good idea. Gee, let me think..put my kid in a car that can do well over 100MPH and have NO CLUE what they are doing behind the wheel, orrrr, let them borrow my car using a special key that limits them to 80? I'm gonna pick option B. Too many kids nowadays get cars with waaay too much horsepower and don't have clue one how to handle them. And since driver's ed seems to be a thing of the past, that adds up to a really bad situation. I know one thing, as a parent of two boys, I don't think I could live with myself if I had to bury one because they were driving too fast and got killed. Think about that before you go spouting big brother crap. It's another aspect of parenting, that's all. If you don't like it, give them your key, let them drive as fast as they want, and try to live with yourself when the cops knock on your door to tell you they just scraped your kid off the road because he was racing and lost control.

[skierdude]

i am a teenager that has a permit so i cant drive with out my parents i think honestly kids shouldn't have fast cars. The original car i was going to get for my 17th birthday was going to be a volvo s60R that my dad is driving now. Its a fast car i know if i had that power bad things would happen. That is one of the reasons i was able to talk my dad into getting my frontier. It is great that ford is doing this maybe it will make more teens be less stupid behind the wheel of a car and this is coming right from a teens mouth.

[jjski78]

Originally Posted by skierdude

i am a teenager that has a permit so i cant drive with out my parents i think honestly kids shouldn't have fast cars. The original car i was going to get for my 17th birthday was going to be a volvo s60R that my dad is driving now. Its a fast car i know if i had that power bad things would happen. That is one of the reasons i was able to talk my dad into getting my frontier. It is great that ford is doing this maybe it will make more teens be less stupid behind the wheel of a car and this is coming right from a teens mouth.

Did this just come from a teenager??!!!

[ToddG]

Originally Posted by sexy6chick

I don't even think the Focus can do 80 mph lol.

Sure it can . . downhill with the wind behind it.

[jjski78]

Originally Posted by sexy6chick

I don't even think the Focus can do 80 mph lol.

Ever drive one?? They can easily break 100.

[skierdude]

Originally Posted by jjski78

Did this just come from a teenager??!!!

Ill be 17 in feb i see the way the kids at my school drive. i hate it there is another accident every day. I don't want to have to subject my beautiful truck to getting hit by some dumb kid in a audi or BMW because they think there cool. They need to learn how to control them self's! I know i will go fast but i am also going to skip barber driving school to learn how to drive safer. If your going to be a teenage A$$ that thinks he is cool because he can speed through the parking lot you don't deserve to drive

[jjski78]

Originally Posted by skierdude

Ill be 17 in feb i see the way the kids at my school drive. i hate it there is another accident every day. I don't want to have to subject my beautiful truck to getting hit by some dumb kid in a audi or BMW because they think there cool. They need to learn how to control them self's! I know i will go fast but i am also going to skip barber driving school to learn how to drive safer. If your going to be a teenage A$$ that thinks he is cool because he can speed through the parking lot you don't deserve to drive

Wow! You need to give a speech to all the idiot teenagers that almost hit me coming out of the HS parking lot without looking while driving the BMW or Benz that daddy bought them.

Skip Barber eh, went there when I was 17 as well. Also attended the BMW defensive driving academy. Add to that regular old drivers ed and my insurance rates were pretty low as a kid.