New Feature Helps Parents Control Teen Driving
Posted on: Monday, 6 October 2008, 14:50 CDT
Are you worried that your teenager has a lead foot? Parents, have no fear. The Ford Motor Co. is going to help you do something about it!
The company will introduce an innovative characteristic on several 2010 models that limits teen drivers to 80 mph. This is accomplished by the installation of a computer chip in the car key.
Parents also can control the key to manage the audio system's volume, and can also program the key to sound incessant alerts if the driver doesn't buckle their seat belt.
The chime can be programmed for adult drivers as well, but stops after five minutes to let alone the exasperating adult passengers who obstinately refuse to wear seat belts, Buczkowski said.
"Our message to parents is, hey, we are providing you some conditions to give your new drivers that may allow you to feel a little more comfortable in giving them the car more often," stated Jim Buczkowski, Ford's director of electronic and electrical systems engineering.
The inventive feature, called "MyKey," will be customary on an indefinite number of Ford models when the 2010 cars and trucks are debuted next summer. This feature will broaden to the entire Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles as models are modernized, spokesman Wes Sherwood announced.
Ford decided to make the limit 80 mph, although freeway speed limits are less than that in most states, since it wanted to leave a margin in error in case an abnormal situation arises, Buczkowski said. In several states, freeway speed limits greater than 70 mph, Sherwood said.
"Just lopping it off at exactly 70 mph was felt to be too limiting," Buczkowski said.
Parents also have the choice of programming the car to sound a chime if the teen driver surpasses 45, 55 or 65 mph.
The company currently uses computer chips in its keys to stop robbery. The car will not start until it distinguishes the chip in the key.
"It's making use of existing technology, and through the magic of software, we're able to build features on top of the features we already have," Buczkowski said.
The feature will debut on the 2010 Focus compact car and rapidly move to other company models as an average feature, the company said.
Ford said its research indicates that 75 percent of parents enjoy the speed and audio limits, but not surprisingly, 67 percent of teens dislike them.
Danisha Williams, a 16-year-old senior at Southfield-Lathrup High School in Detroit, said she is opposed to the MyKey.
"I wouldn't want my parents to have that much control over how I'm driving," she said. "If your parents are holding your hand, you're never going to learn."
Brittany Hawthorne, 17, a senior, observed that there could be an emergency situation where she may have to drive higher than 80 mph, possibly to speed up to steer clear of a crash.
Ford's study demonstrates that parents are more likely to allow teens use their vehicles with the new system, Sherwood said. If it allows them to use the car more frequently, the number of teens objecting to the system drops by almost half.
A top official from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds the key interesting and noted that she was not conscious of any other manufacturer offering such a feature. IIHS indicates that car crashes are the foremost cause of death among teenagers.
"Research we've done has shown that speeding is a major factor in teen crashes, especially novice teen drivers," said Anne McCartt, the institute's senior vice president for research. "So I think a system that tries to correct the speeding behavior has the potential to improve safety."
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Image Caption: MyKey, another innovation from the company that introduced SYNC, allows parents to limit speed and audio volume to encourage teens to drive safer and improve fuel efficiency.
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Source: redorbit Staff & Wire Reports
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