Ford MyKey lets parents control their kids' driving habits

There's not exactly a shortage of options out there for parents that want to keep watch on their kids' driving, but Ford looks to be taking things a bit further than most with its new MyKey system, and it's making it standard issue, no less. Set to debut in the 2010 Focus Coupe and plenty of other Ford vehicles shortly thereafter, the key-based system will let parents limit their car's top driving speed to 80 miles per hour, cut off the stereo's volume at just 44% of its max output, and set a persistent chime to go off if the seatbelts aren't being used (the stereo also gets muted until everyone buckles up). As if that wasn't enough, it'll also provide a low-fuel warning at 75 miles to empty, start issuing a surely annoying reminder as the driver inches up past the 45 mph mark, and make it impossible to disable some of the Focus' usual safety measures like Park Aid and Cross Traffic Alert. Also not able to be disabled: your kid's resentment.

[rock99rock @ Oct 6th 2008 2:51PM]

I dont even know where to start with this one. Overall: horrible idea.

[Serial 8-Ball Mouse @ Oct 6th 2008 2:52PM]

I disagree. And I am sure some parents would as well.

[Christian Martin @ Oct 6th 2008 3:04PM]

You must not have kids.

I'm not even sure how you *can* disagree with this. Hell, I'd like to see it be more restrictive via a web interface, allowing granular control like disabling the key entirely, sealing off of the back seat on date night and massive electric shock if nudity is detected.

In all seriousness, this is a grand idea.

[Alex L. @ Oct 6th 2008 3:06PM]

I actually agree with Rock, mainly because kids are always way ahead of their parents when it comes to technology. And it'd be a matter of seconds before someone starts selling the workarounds on the intarwebbs.

[happy_penguin @ Oct 6th 2008 3:08PM]

The responses here must reflect the ages of the commenter. ;)

[Asha @ Oct 6th 2008 3:11PM]

Considering the mischief that I got into with my parents vehicles (including a car accident) I wouldn't blame parents at all for using this.

If you handed the keys to your $20K car to someone you think is irresponsible, wouldn't you like to know that there was a few systems in place to limit the amount of trouble they could get into? Especially so when you are going to have to deal with 100% of the results.

[rock99rock @ Oct 6th 2008 3:11PM]

Ok, youd like your kids to be bothered by annoying sounds while trying to concentrate on driving?

If the speed limit is 55 and they are going 50, you get the beeps. I might agree with the radio volume limitation (not that you would need one in that car), but the audible alert is absurd.

Agreed some are good ideas, others not so much.

[tom @ Oct 6th 2008 3:16PM]

+1 to rock.

It is indeed a horrible idea. If you don't trust your kids, don't give them a car. Anyway, gets can always manage to override those.

1. 80mph max - doesn't stop the kids drive 80mph on streets
2. How about sitting on top of the buckled seatbelt, or slappig passenger's seatbelt to driver seatbelt =P
3. after market stereo if kids really love music

Nevertheless, there are stupid kids anyway. These foolproof features can't 100% eliminate accidents. Nice try, Ford.

[collegekid13 @ Oct 6th 2008 3:29PM]

as much as id hate my parents for this it makes sense. it wouldn't have stoped me from rolling the car but still

[Evan @ Oct 6th 2008 3:30PM]

I support the idea, but it wouldn't curtained half the trouble my friends and I got into when we there teenagers. For that it would need:
- A detector to detect if the mud or water is deeper than the car can drive through.
- A detector to prevent the car from being driven with someone sitting on the hood or trunk lid.
- Prevent the windows from being opened. Period.

[JJV @ Oct 6th 2008 3:32PM]

this is a horrible idea.

If this is the world we live in where kids cant be trusted with anything?? give me a break
most kids are more responsible than adults. Kids are more self aware and aware of their friends who would be in the car with them.

Those who drink and drive: are generally over 21, those talking while driving are generally 20+ those who are in a rush to get to work ad run the occasional red: those over 20

[anodynewake @ Oct 6th 2008 3:44PM]

Just think about what we'd have done if our parents would have presented us with the MyKey... I would have:

a. driven the car harder (to play with all the warnings and safety features)
b. seriously disliked my parents
c. just had my friends drive me around, and never use my car (and been in the hands of another, less responsible driver)

Kids need to be trusted by their parents (obviously, it needs to be mutual)... if they don't screw up when trusted, then awesome. If they do, then they learn their lesson. When parents respect and trust kids, that's where maturity builds.

If you're concerned about your child's responsibility driving a 20k car, then buy them a $500 car. It's not their fault you raised them to be irresponsible...

[rock99rock @ Oct 6th 2008 3:48PM]

@anodynewake

I am obviously not as graceful with my wording as you are, but i wholeheartedly agree with your post.

@tom

not so much...

[happy_penguin @ Oct 6th 2008 3:50PM]

It's not about whether or not kids should be trusted. It's about keeping kids alive.

Young people have a lot less sense of mortality than older people. That's just the way it is. So many young people will make choices which aren't in their best interest pertaining to safety because they don't see what they are doing as wrong or risky. I was that way and so were or are many of you.

If parents want this technology for their cars I say go for it.

[rock99rock @ Oct 6th 2008 3:54PM]

@happy_penguin

If you cant trust your children to keep themselves alive, please dont let them drive. No amount of tech can help them. It will only annoy them to the point of road rage, and to do things to spite you. Work with them.

[Vidikron @ Oct 6th 2008 4:05PM]

Kids do stupid stuff sometimes no matter how well you raised them, especially when they are around other kids. I see nothing wrong with this other than the beeps above 45 MPH... that seems excessive.

[Justin @ Oct 6th 2008 10:10PM]

Coming from a 22 year old speaking from personal experience, I can admit I did some stupid stuff in my car when I was a teenager. I was never a bad kid nor was I untrustworthy but I made some poor choices when it came to speeding. Luckily, nothing more than a speeding ticket ever came from it.

I applaud Ford for their efforts trying to take a proactive stance at attempting to make driving a bit safer for teenagers. Does this mean that the technology is the perfect solution, no, but I can tell you it’s a great idea and definitely a step in the right direction. Even if it saves one persons life, I say it’s worth doing.

And for all of you people running your ignorant mouths saying how bad this is, why don’t you think about your own friends and families and think how bad it would be if you lost them….

[Konstantin @ Oct 6th 2008 4:21PM]

Ford Parental Control 2.0: Be at peace knowing that your child is safe in the new Ford Focus. The Focus gently induces a coma and the unruly teenager remains in the driveway where he/she is safe and secure. Also available: automatic saran wrap and removal for the backseat and a flashing logo reading: Abstinence is effective 100% of the time.

[Technex @ Oct 6th 2008 4:24PM]

I totally agree with this idea, and I'm 17. Not that I would get any chance of driving my parents though, hell I've got more change of becoming a millionaire in the next few minutes.

I can't find a bad point about it?

[Josh @ Oct 6th 2008 4:30PM]

What kind of stupid parent BUYS their kid a car anyway..

Just refuse to pay their insurance or for the lessons or for the car or for anything to do with it, that puts most kids off.

[RikF @ Oct 6th 2008 4:41PM]

"If you're concerned about your child's responsibility driving a 20k car, then buy them a $500 car. It's not their fault you raised them to be irresponsible..."

or just don't lend them your car. Make them earn the money to buy their own, insure their own and tax their own. It is amazing how much more quickly responsibility can be learned when it is you who pays for ignoring it.

[Victoid @ Oct 6th 2008 5:12PM]

gee, if they'd just taken all this misplaced effort into making their fleet all-paranoid and put it into making their fleet all-electric, then they wouldn't be able to go faster than 80mph anyway.

[Trevor @ Oct 6th 2008 5:14PM]

I am someone who this could be used for and, frankly, I wouldn't mind. I don't need to go above 80, I believe that seat belts are important, and I don't listen to the stereo so loud that it hurts my ears. Maybe I'm just weird that way, though.

[r3loaded @ Oct 6th 2008 5:45PM]

Just do what my parents have done, refuse to pay insurance.

I've held my license for 2 years now, not a single incident. Mainly since I've not driven since I passed my test - London's impossible to drive in as well as being ridiculously expensive.

[Evan @ Oct 6th 2008 5:48PM]

@anodynewake
Like respect, trust is something that must be earned.

[Mark @ Oct 6th 2008 5:59PM]

If parents need all this gadgetry to make sure their kids stay out of trouble, then those parents are utter failures in my book and I was a teenager just a few years ago, now 25.

[BananaBoat @ Oct 6th 2008 6:17PM]

Crap like this is contributing to our generation of 20 somethings with parents that won't cut the cord. Limiting the speed on a car is just dangerous (how many times have you needed to speed up to avoid a collision? If the answer is not many times, then you haven't been driving very long) not to mention that the speed on a stretch of highway with a 70 MPH limit, is about 80 MPH, especially in the fast lane (How are you going to pass someone going 70 MPH, if you can't even hit 80?). I have no problem with the music volume limiting (some punk kids enjoy blaring their car stereos at all times of the day or night. This seems like a good fix) but everything else is a joke.

I'm glad that I got my license a few years before any of this BS GPS tracking, speed limiting, molly coddling technology hit the market. My parents probably would have used it, and it probably would have made my life miserable. What's next? Technology that informs your parents mid-test if you are doing poorly? (and an option for them to send your educational institution a 10 dollar donation to give you an on-the-spot cheat sheet?) Atleast this isn't as inane as car GPS tracking. Like your kids don't know a kid with an un-bugged car that they can use to drive to the kegger. Not too hard to park a car, get in another car, and have your parents think that you are safely at little timmy's house.

[happy_penguin @ Oct 6th 2008 6:32PM]

"how many times have you needed to speed up to avoid a collision? If the answer is not many times, then you haven't been driving very long"

Sorry boatman, but I've been driving for many, many years and I drive well in excess of 25,000 miles every year on standard roads, city driving and interstate. Speeding up to avoid a collision is a rarity.

[SoulinEther @ Oct 6th 2008 8:08PM]

Well, I see two sides to this issue.

To me, this is kind of like going on a diet that you don't plan on sticking to forever: yes, while a young driver (of the ages between... 15.5-18, or 19? well, for whomever you as a parent deem this appropriate) could stand to have hard restrictions on their driving habits and freedoms while on the road, what would they do once they get their own car (or into another car) without these restrictions? I'm a little concerned that once off this "diet," a young driver will "binge," taking full advantage of the features of a non-restricted automobile, maybe just to test out what it's like to be "free," and with this surge of freedom these newly "mature" drivers will become... reckless, due to a lack of learned responsibility and discipline, instead being forced into good driving choices by habit (i.e. being constantly forced to drive under 80 and with the car stereo volume at a certain level)... "I'm going to eat well until I'm down to an appropriate weight and then... we'll see."

BUT, maybe that habit of driving under a certain speed and with the radio low will become integral beliefs of the young driver, therefore making this system actually useful.

In any case, I think a responsible parent (meaning a parent who is genuinely concerned for the maturation and growth of their child) should carefully and thoughtfully explain why they are implementing such a system into their son or daughter's new car - much like they should in any of their actions regarding their children - and if your child doesn't believe that you are doing this for his/her own benefit, because there is a lack of mutual trust or there is animosity between you two, then... no matter what kind of protection you try to throw their way, they're not going to like it, and they're probably going to just resent it (possibly defy it) until they reach the proper maturity (on their own) to understand the motivations behind your actions.... which is probably the main reason why I am thankful my parents took the time to explain their limits and reprimands.

OMG WALL OF TEXT, NOO VERY BAD FOR EYES.

[nDee @ Oct 6th 2008 10:12PM]

IT was volvo's idea to make a key that restrict speed for safety
but when it comes to ford, they add a baby monitor on it.

Stupid ford.
I know, Volvo Cars is a part of Ford.

[Drew Tryon @ Oct 8th 2008 12:20AM]

Look at the risk of being "low ranked" you cant count on technology fixing your problems, you simply raise your children to be responsible and then hope they do there best. I see how this is appealing as a "quick-fix," but you obviously don't trust your children! Furthermore don't act all high and mighty because i have a feeling you weren't a angel of a child. Also, be glad the worse there doing is speeding, the could be doing drugs, drinking, having a shit-load of sex... or worse... If you can't trust your children then you must have raised them wrong, so it falls on your shoulders. This is just one small example of the problem plaguing the US, parents teach there children bad values (eating habits, responsibility, or self-esteem issues) and then search for the quickest way to fix the huge problem they have created. Did you notice no other nation seems to have this problem?

[y3k.nik @ Oct 6th 2008 2:52PM]

Reminds me of the good old days when my mom did all that nagging when i was learning to drive.....

[Jon Nelson @ Oct 6th 2008 3:37PM]

Your mom nagged?

My mom silently grabbed the Oh-Shit Handle™ in front of her, near the dash board, or at the side of her on the door:

EVERY SINGLE TIME I TURNED THE CORNER. Seriously, I could've been driving three miles per hour (I even tested this, taking a turn as slowly as I possibly could), and she'd have white-knuckle-grabbed that handle.

[happy_penguin @ Oct 6th 2008 3:55PM]

What about that imaginary brake on the passenger side? Funny how it never works. ;)

[lawyer bird @ Oct 6th 2008 4:25PM]

mine always put her leg up on the glove compartment when i touched the brakes...

[ExcaliburXVII @ Oct 6th 2008 2:58PM]

I wonder how many parents are going to be killed over this.

[Ryan Trevisol @ Oct 6th 2008 3:38PM]

Would'a saved me some real money in speeding ticket fines and raised insurance.

[Rik @ Oct 6th 2008 3:39PM]

No, that'l be the shame of having to drive the a very dull Ford model which will feature this standard.

[Michael @ Oct 6th 2008 2:58PM]

It seems like a good idea to me, IF you could set which of those features it enforces.

[adan @ Oct 7th 2008 8:27AM]

I'm sorry but are American teenagers really that stupid that they are not wearing their seatbelts, driving too fast and running out of gas all the time? Wouldn't it just be easier to have an IQ test along with their road test and if they are stupid you don't give them a drivers L.?

Or better yet, Ford should release a product called: "how to be a better parent - teach your kids to be more responsible".

[maty @ Oct 6th 2008 2:59PM]

Well if anything, it would encourage your kids to go out and buy their own non-annoying car with the embarassment that would be brought driving that one.

[LinkDJ @ Oct 6th 2008 3:12PM]

And teach them not to buy an American-made car at that!

[Erik Rogers @ Oct 6th 2008 3:02PM]

As with any good emerging new technology, the kids will master it before the parents can get an understanding of it and it will be the kids being asked by the parents how to work it and disable it, defeating the whole purpose of it.

[ScooterDe @ Oct 6th 2008 4:33PM]

hence they are making it standard. Just insert the 'kiddie key' and the settings are automatically engaged.

[Chad @ Oct 6th 2008 11:45PM]

I would just make a copy of their key, and never use the kiddie key.

[Okitasan @ Oct 8th 2008 5:16PM]

so true

[Kiwi616 @ Oct 6th 2008 3:00PM]

This is could be very fun for other drivers.....LETS RACE heehee. They should have it keep a log of you driving and braking also.

[Falcom @ Oct 6th 2008 4:01PM]

I think just keeping a log that parents could access would be sufficient. If you know they are going somewhere local, and the car sees 80mph, something's up.

[Lowest Ranked @ Oct 7th 2008 12:51PM]

Falcom, where the hell do you live? How close/far is local to you? Right now from me there are 3 freeways that converge 1 block away and all of them I use to travel 'locally' 5-10 minutes up a few exits, which requires me to do the 75-80 MPH it takes to successfully merge onto them.

[Evan @ Oct 6th 2008 3:01PM]

Where's the built in breathalyzer?