Ford has found a new way for parents to keep teen drivers in check when they lend them the car.
Called MyKey, it's a car key with a chip, which can be programmed to keep the top speed of the car to 80 mph. The MyKey will come standard with the 2010 Focus coupe and eventually will be available on other Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury models, according to Ford.
Here's Inside Line's take: Ford Introduces a Big Brother-esque MyKey Feature on 2010 Ford Focus
And in another safety-related story, a study shows that there are more vehicle accidents during presidential elections. This due to more people driving, many of whom probably shouldn't be behind the wheel, and going to possibly unfamiliar destinations.
Hmmm.... I wonder if my recent accident was a result of this? The elections are month away, and it was in the DC area. Good grief, I can just see the person who caused it using this as the excuse.
the_big_al says:
08:48 AM, 10/ 7/08
I know it sounds like Big Brother (and it is to a certain extent), but this is really no different than the speed limiters that were and are placed on vehicles now. My truck has a limiter set at 96 MPH (although it could easily do more than that, but I wouldn't want to) and my car probably has the limit set at 115 or so, but I haven't tested it. 80 MPH might be a little bit low considering some areas have speed limits set that high.
What would be Big Brotherish, is if the vehicle texted a cell phone to say the car had exceeded a certain limit and then asked if you want to shut the car down. That would be out of line I say. But a limit on how fast the car can go? No, I don't think this is a big deal.
the_big_al says:
08:55 AM, 10/ 7/08
Okay, so I just went and read the article and it turns out the MyKey is so much more than just a speed limiter, which does indeed sound much more like a Big Brother. That I am not in favor of as it takes aways some sense of responsibility and agency. Yes it is good to have certain limits in place, but to actually force someone to obey or comply with those limits smacks of a socialistic and communistic society...
bankerdanny says:
09:40 AM, 10/ 7/08
I think this is a great idea. I know that I had a tendancy to push speeds beyond prudent as a young driver, especially when I had friends with me. A dangerous combo.
Frankly, 80 seems too high. 70 seems about right to me.
Oh, and Big Brother is the government limiting your vehicle's max speed. When a parent does it it's called responsible parenting.
bankerdanny says:
09:46 AM, 10/ 7/08
I read the article, still no Big Brother overtones.
The vehicle isn't delivered with the speed and other parameters limited by some unknown bureaucrat. It simple allows the primary owner to set limits for other drivers and seems to be aimed primarily at parents.
Again, this seems like an excellent idea to me.
brn says:
10:18 AM, 10/ 7/08
How about letting me program the maximum speed that my punk, um kid, can go? While we're at it, let me set the maximum speed to 15mph for the valet.
ateixeira says:
01:10 PM, 10/ 7/08
It's not Big Brother-ish, it's Good Parent-ish.
We all want to think our children are perfect, but let's face it - noone is.
I'd consider getting something like this.
estreka says:
03:26 PM, 10/ 7/08
I'd hope parents wouldn't use this as an excuse to no longer talk to their kids about safe driving. From what I understand, much of this Big Brother stuff is just a stopgap measure for parents that never talk to their kids.