Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Safety, Tech, Videos, Ford
Detroit 2009: Ford demos MyKey
Few people in favor of government-mandated speed limiters, but the public at large has less of a problem if the limits are set on teenage drivers (apparently, that Orwellian pill goes down a lot smoother -Ed.). Ford is adding a new technology called MyKey to new 2010 model vehicles beginning with the Focus coupe. The new key tech enables parents to place limits on the family car, but only for those that use the MyKey fob. Parents can set the speed limit to 80 mph, add chimes at 45, 55, or 65 mph, limit radio loudness, and and turn off the radio when seat belts aren't fastened. Teenagers won't like this system, but it's designed for parent's peace of mind.
We got a chance to demo the system with Ford MyKey chief engineer Tom Miller, and we've prepared a short video for your perusal. It shows how to program a key, what settings can be chosen, and how some of the features work. MyKey may not be a big hit with the 16-21 crowd, but we've got a good feeling that parents will love it.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
rsfourever 11:30AM (1/13/2009)
these kinds of speed limits are so dangerous it's not even fathomable for me to think of a parent who could do that to his/her child.
these things end up being useless because if you really want to control the kid's speed, you have to set the max at 65 or something like that. but setting a max at 65 makes it so that the kid can't take any evasive maneuvers at high speed as needed on the highway, which might lead to a major accident. if you set the max speed at something like 80, then what the hell is the point, the kid will be speeding at 80 on a 55mph highway!
this is another example of people being too lazy to do this thing called parenting... if you don't want to raise kids, DON'T HAVE THEM! in any case, don't leave it to a machine...
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snp 11:44AM (1/13/2009)
"if you don't want to raise kids, DON'T HAVE THEM!" you're a dingwad. It's called responsible parenting. 80 is great so you can speed up to pass another vehicle if needed but not allow the kid to race @90/100/110/120.... The chimes helps young drivers get a good feel whenever they pass common speed limits. And the seatbelts are a no-brainer. What's your complaint? If you dont want this option, then dont pay for it. Sounds more to me like you still need mommy and daddy's money to buy you that ride so you can race around risking other people's lives.
betterthengoogle 11:45AM (1/13/2009)
I strongly disagree with your assessment on almost every point.
By sixteen, you are still parenting, but you have to relinquish strict control of your child so that they can begin the adjustment into the real world. This includes giving them freedom, and for many parents, command of the family car on occasion.
Statistically, kids are likely to make bad decisions with friends in the car. This includes speeding, reckless driving, etc.
This system prevents the kid from breaking 80, which is fair. I can't think of a situation where breaking 80 is necessary for a safe driver. Even on a highway, the speed limit will be MAX 70mph in the US.
Remember, this is a Focus, so the time it takes to get from 70 to 80 will be MUCH longer than needed to successfully 'evade' an accident. So that's really a moot point, unless you're arguing that they could be hitting their limiter at 80mph and suddenly need more acceleration to avoid an accident.
As for the rest of the features, they're just simple, safety conscious ideas. No radio with no seat belts. That's fair enough. I'd LOVE that in my car. People are DICKS about wearing their seat belt, they are literally offended when I tell them that in the back seat of my car, you wear your seatbelt or you don't ride. This would be further incentive to get people to actually do it.
These features aren't attempting to parent a child for you, like you so incorrectly say, they are merely tools for a parent to use to assist them in the parenting process.
Kotse 11:53AM (1/13/2009)
"Teenagers won't like this system, but it's designed for parent's peace of mind..."
Duuude...where's MyKey?!
rsfourever 11:52AM (1/13/2009)
the only thing i commented on was the speed limiter, not the radio/seat belts stuff. and neither of you two answered my point about the speed limiter being pointless. i said:
if you limit the speed at 80, the kid can still speed at 80mph in 55, 35 and 45mph zones, so it's pointless. on the eastern seaboard, there are only a few places where the speed limit is ever above 55. on some interstates, they're 65 and rarely 70. at 55, the kid doing 80 is speeding at what is considered "reckless driving" speed. at 70, the kid doing 80 is barely keeping up with traffic, and will be unable to take any proper evasive maneuvers if necessary. each of you went into a philosophical diatribe without ever responding to the points that i made...
Throwback 11:57AM (1/13/2009)
As a parent it is our responsibility to keep our kids safe. This helps. If my son is using the car to go to a freind's house, then he does not need to go 65 mph on residential streets. This is just a tool that will help in SOME situations. Ford is not in charge of your kids acting responsiblely. they are simply offering a tool which a Parent can CHOOSE to use or not.
snp 12:06PM (1/13/2009)
@rsfourever,
dude, you got sh*t for brains. who cares about the speeding. ford doesnt solve that - only deter you from speeding. the whole purpose of speed limits is safety. what's the difference between ramming into a divider at 80mph and 110mph? ..um...your legs? your spine? your life? at 80mph i can still see how you can rear end another vehicle and still be fine. or apply the brakes fast enough to slow down to 60-40mph before the actual impact.
The way you talk, you think a meteor will come crashing down on the planet and you have to escape the fiery explosion @150mph. Grow up.
Kotse 12:11PM (1/13/2009)
They should rename this option the NannyKey..or BigBrotherKey!
the vegas style guy 12:15PM (1/13/2009)
BRA THE F VO!
My dad wouldn't even have known how to program the thing (he was hilarious when answering machines came in, "hello, uh, WTF!, LEAVE A DAMN, JUST CALL BACK, HOW DO YOU WORK THIS THING?!?) if this had been around when I was a teen.
I agree, if you can't get your kids to do what's right through old fashioned fear then you're a 2% milk drinking, my kids an honor student at.., packaged vacation, turn off the lights and put down "The Towel" before having sex, do you want a timeout?, lamazoid excuse for a parent.
C'mon people do you honestly think that key is there for you? If so, I've got a congressman with a banking reform bill to sell you.
That key (I am willing to bet) can also tell your insurance company everything it needs to know about how YOUR car is being used. If it doesn't now it will be able to soon because you said ok to this.
What kind of world is it where a kid can't scare himself silly by getting the minivan up to 85 before realizing that's not the best idea? You're not a man until you have to come home to dad with that first ticket in your hand to face the wrath. I'll never forget sitting with my dad in the judges chambers while they both looked at me like I was the most irresponsible mutant on earth. I got the fear of god in me from that ticket.
Let's face it, parents today want someone else to do everything for them. So, kids today are spoiled and have peanut allergies (wtf is that about?!?) because they have never been exposed to dirt or consequences.
Trust me, if you pay extra for this device, your little hacker is going to reprogram it as soon as they hit their first kegger after the game. If Johnny really hates absent daddy, he'll probably reprogram dads Taurus to only do 55.
Go Johnny!
Judy Zik 12:32PM (1/13/2009)
It's pretty simple. Don't like the speed limiter turn it off. Personally I like it. I have driven all over the place including a lot of time on the supposed "Ontarioban" and have never had the need to exceed 80mph for "safety reasons" (though I have done it many times for fun). If you are performing an emergency evade sudden acceleration is going to decrease your traction. I don't have kids but if I was to loan my vehicle out to someone this is the key they would get. Ditto for valets. If I want to do doughnuts in the parking lot in my own vehicle and wear out the tires fine but if you want to do it get your own.
akboss 12:41PM (1/13/2009)
I see this system as a negative influence in a teenagers life, and not the 'awww, I wanna drive fast!' kind of negative. Basically it says, "I can't trust you to do what you should, so just in case, I'm installing protective gear on our car (for now-soon more stuff if this takes off) so you don't behave excessively". I don't want to sound like Dr.Phil, but trust is a key element in a successful relationship, being newly married I am realizing this more and more everyday. I think this is saying you anticipate your kids to screw up, a substantial negative influence in the parent/child relationship. People need to learn to make real-world decisions, and proper parenting and drivers education should be enough to let anybody decide what's right and wrong on the road.
Tony2X 12:49PM (1/13/2009)
I'm with you on this one. I think part of growing up is making mistakes and learning from them. I agree the argument that this saves kids lives is unavoidable but since when did we resort to a machine doing parenting for us.
I learned to drive in a 204hp 3.0 6 cylinder 24v ex-police car in the UK, it was capable of 150mph. Did I ever drive it that fast? No. Did I get a speeding ticket the day after passing my driving test. Yes. Did that teach me a valuable lesson about responsible driving? You bet it did.
Perhaps I would sing a different song if I had kids myself but I know that all the most valuable lessons I learned were when I was caught doing bad things. Prevention is not necessarily a cure.
I put this type of technology in the same realm as the proliferation of hand sanitizers everywhere. It is technology that is trying to save us from ourselves.
Randy 1:18PM (1/13/2009)
And another benefit of this system is VALET! You can limit the valet drivers from wrecking your car!
Now put this on the next Ford Halo car! Yeah baby!
Polly Prissy Pants 1:46PM (1/13/2009)
"Trust" and "learning from your own mistakes" are both fantastic theories and work in most situations, unfortunately when the consequences of that mistake can be your child's life or the lives of an innocent family coming home from gramma's house then it isn't enough to simply cross your fingers and hope for the best.
It's an accepted fact that most teenagers lack the brain development to always make the best decisions so as a parent it is your responsibility to do what you can to mitigate the lethal and potentially life threatening consequences of the poor decisions you know they're going to make. That's what being a responsible parent is. The people who don't want to take responsibility for their actions are the ones who hand their kids the keys to a Corvette and say 'Good luck'.
cdwrx 2:01PM (1/13/2009)
This is just a tool which can be used positively, negatively, or not at all. It is an aid for those who lack the experience and judgment we can take for granted. My daughter has training wheels on her bike. That's not a violation of trust, it's an acknowledgment of her limitations as a cyclist and a safeguard against falling into the street.
SNP 2:06PM (1/13/2009)
If you trust them so much then give them a motorcycle to speed on. A crash is less likely to kill other people. Or trust them to be in the house with a bunch of friends guys and girls with booze, music, and drugs. Kinda like the Palin line of thought when her daughter and bf had that kid at 17. Let them learn with the consequences of the mistakes regardless of the seriousness of the situation. Ha, and give them a shotgun for bday too. Or homemade fireworks. If something goes wrong, just point the finger somewhere else..."it's the videogames, it's the movies, it's the automakers who keep making these darn cars go so fast."
Hey, have you guys heard about Hulk Hogan's kid? Kinda like that line of thinking. Kid gets in trouble, and had a huge lawsuite from speeding..."whatcha gonna do??" file for divorce, then bankrupt the husband's remaining assets, split everyone up so noone gets suspicious then everybody get a job doing anything and everything. ...Too bad we're all not like the hulkster with 30mill stashed in the closet.
Judy Zik 3:24PM (1/13/2009)
You can have all the trust you want. That is why this is totally optional and customizeable. Personally I barely survivied my teen years. Too many hormones and not enough brains. No way I would trust anyone under 25 to make sensible choices because if they are half as wild as I was these days they probably wouldn't survive. The morgues are full of kids that their parents trusted. Good thing I am not a Mom. I would be such a bitch.
akboss 4:46PM (1/13/2009)
In my opinion, being a parent isn't limited to protecting your kids from any and all danger they may face, its equipping them with the life skills necessary to lead a fulfilling life. This includes trusting them to do the right thing, and that creates this little thing called 'respect'. If your parents put limits on everything you did growing up, would you really feel that they were taking the time to trust, understand and care about who you are? This is why our youth has identity problems - parents that don't want to take the time to be parents are relying on other sources to do the parenting, and our 'protected' children are out of control. In the end, do what you want, I'm going to teach my kids the right thing to do and trust them to do it, if they choose differently that's up to them.
jv2k 4:53PM (1/13/2009)
"Even on a highway, the speed limit will be MAX 70mph in the US."
Actually there are quite a few 75 mph roads out west and the i10 has parts that allow for 80mph in the day.
Nr9 11:48AM (1/13/2009)
remember, the average speed in some parts of the US is 80mph. sometimes you will need to exceed it to avoid an accident.
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