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Ford introduces safety system for teen drivers
Special key would restrict speed, audio system
Ford’s "MyKey" has a computer chip that parents of teenagers can program.
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Published: October 7, 2008
DETROIT
So you think junior is a little too lead-footed when he drives the family car? Starting next year, Ford Motor Co. will give you the power to do something about it.
The company will roll out a new feature on many 2010 models that can limit teenage drivers to 80 mph, using a computer chip in the key.
Parents also have the option of programming the teenager's key to limit the audio system's volume, and to sound continuous alerts if the driver doesn't wear a seat belt.
"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," said Jim Buczkowski, Ford's director of electronic and electrical-systems engineering.
The feature, called "MyKey," will be standard on an unspecified number of Ford models when the 2010 cars and trucks come out late next summer. MyKey will spread to the entire Ford, Lincoln and Mercury lineup as models are updated, spokesman Wes Sherwood said.
Ford arrived at the 80 mph limit even though freeway speed limits are lower in most states because it wanted to leave a margin in case an unusual situation arises, Buczkowski said. In some states, freeway speed limits are above 70 mph, Sherwood said.
"Just lopping it off at exactly 70 mph felt to be too limiting," he said.
The company already uses computer chips in its keys to prevent thefts. The car won't start unless it recognizes 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.
In addition to speed limits, MyKey will also limit the volume of the audio system, and it will sound a six-second chime every minute if seat belts are not fastened.
The chime sounds for adult drivers, too, but ends after five minutes to avoid annoying adults who adamantly don't want to wear seat belts, Buczkowski said.
Parents also have the option of having the car sound a chime if the teenager exceeds 45, 55 or 65 mph.
The feature will appear first on the 2010 Focus compact car and quickly move to other company models as a standard feature, the company said.
Ford said that its market research shows that 75 percent of parents like the limits, but as you might expect, 67 percent of teenagers don't like them.
Ford's research shows that parents would be more likely to let teenagers use their vehicles with the system, Sherwood said, and if it gets them the car more often, the number of teenagers objecting drops by nearly half.
A top official from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research group financed by the auto-insurance industry that is pushing to raise the minimum driving age to 17 or 18, found the key intriguing and said that she was not aware of any other manufacturer offering such a feature. IIHS says that car wrecks are the leading cause of death among teenagers.
More than 5,000 U.S. teenagers each year die in car wrecks. The rate of wrecks, fatal and nonfatal, per mile driven for 16-year-old drivers is almost 10 times the rate for drivers ages 30 to 59, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
"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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