Ford announces ‘MyKey’ parental controls

Source: Technology Digital

Date :08/10/2008 14:43:41

The programmable Ford Focus key can limit speed, music volume, and chime when seatbelts are undone.

Parents can choose what settings they limit their child’s driving to: from an audio warning when they drive above 80 mph, to the car not being able to go above 65mph, or other speeds depending on the parents’ level of worry.

The optional extra key will be available by 2010 on Ford Focus models, and the company plans to eventually make them a standard feature on all Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln models.

MyKey works by using existing ID chips which are built in to keys as a theft deterrent, but as the software has evolved, more possible uses have emerged. "Teens are probably the riskiest drivers," said Susan Cischke, Group Vice President of Ford’s Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering department. "MyKey helps parents encourage their teens to drive safely."

Each car comes with up to eight keys, and different levels can be set on each key so that older, more responsible children can have fewer restrictions, though all ‘adult’ keys will work with no restrictions. Changes can only be made with the ‘master key’ – but doing so will reset the teenage driver’s mileage, so parents can tell if they attempt to change settings themselves.

Other features include the radio volume being limited to 44 percent, and cutting out completely and giving a warning bell if seatbelts are not done up. Cischke said there were plans to "turn up the annoyance factor a little bit” in the future with further measures.

Though 67 percent of teenage drivers polled said they would not want the system, most parents – the ones who will be buying the cars – were far more enthusiastic.