On the road with Big Brother

Ford Motor Co., never one to get left behind in the race to control every aspect of our driving lives, has a new innovation: an electronic baby-sitter for wayward youths.

Called MyKey and available in the first half of next year, it's a programmable key that limits a car's top speed, radio volume and general fun level, at the whim of the car's owner. Ford says it will eventually offer MyKey on its full line of vehicles, but is spotlighting its use in the Focus, which it says is particularly popular with teens.

And teens are very much the focus of MyKey, which is Ford's ingenious solution to the riddle: How do you hold your child's hand all the way down the turnpike? The idea, says Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood, "is to look at safety technology from a family perspective."  Translated into layman's terms, that means parents can use the system to make sure their teenage drivers don't speed, don't forget to buckle their seat  belts, don't play the music too loud, don't run out of gas, don't drive farther than they're allowed, and, most shocking of all, don't do burnouts.

Yes, Ford, maker of the tire-destroying, 500-horsepower rear-wheel-drive Shelby GT500 Mustang, is barring America's hormonally supercharged teenagers from that most American of initiation rites.

Ford will offer parents all that spirit-breaking power by giving them the option to automatically turn on traction and stability control every time their teen drives. MyKey also can limit speed to 80 miles per hour and set a cap on radio volume at 44% of top level (wonder what the hearing aid lobby thinks about that).

If the driver or passengers aren't buckled up, MyKey makes the intermittent seat belt reminder ("ding, ding, ding") run continuously, while completely muting the stereo. And it sets off warning bells when the car passes the 45 mph, 55 mph and 65 mph marks, as well as when the gasoline level reaches 75 miles to empty.

Here's how it works: Each Ford vehicle with the system will come with two keys, the MyKey and a "master" key. The MyKey has an embedded chip that automatically turns on such controls when the car is started. The master key must be in the ignition to toggle on and off individual features and, when it's used to start the car, does not activate the MyKey controls. If the holder of the master key (we call him or her the Keymaster) so chooses, all MyKey controls can be shut off.

The technology is somewhat reminiscent of the famous "valet" key that General Motors Corp. put on its Corvette ZR1s not so long ago. That was a manual key switch that capped the engine at 200 horsepower, down from full output of 375 horses, the idea being to prevent valets and other potential joy riders from having too much fun with the overpowered beast.

Studies commissioned by Ford suggest that parents are generally over the moon about being able to put their teens on four-wheeled lock down -- "including 75% who like the speed-limiting feature, 72% who like the more insistent safety-belt reminder, and 63% who like the audio limit feature" according to Ford's news release -- but the technology brings up all sorts of intriguing, if not troubling, questions.

Will wives use this on husbands? How does an 80 mph cap prevent drivers from going 80 mph in a 35 mph zone? Will car thieves be limited to 80 mph? Will later versions come up with bluetooth shock technology through the Sync system to prevent teens from texting while driving? And most importantly, why isn't there a feature to prevent teenagers from engaging in their most favorite in-car activity of all?

-- Ken Bensinger

Awesome photoshopped image representing the abstract idea of MyKey, courtesy of Ford

Comments

[the truth]

I think this is great kids are the worst drivers period god now all they need is a car that will parallel for those retarded acne infested youths and then I will not have to worry about retardation

[ALMOSTDEAF]

Well it's about time! Maybe...just MAYBE some responsible parents will take the time to program the cars radio down to a volume that doesn't send everyone within a half mile radius running for their earplugs or noise-canceling headphones, and will consequently minimize damage to their children's health and hearing.

[Humanist]

America's famility values are really ageism, or adultism if you know this word. While every "adult" sings about freedom every day and every election, no one blinks when second-class citizens called "teenagers", "children", or "kids" are stripped of more and more rights and responsibilities.

"If you are under 13 years of age you may read this message board, but you may not participate."...

Remember, if you treat someone like a "child", he or she will behave like a child regardless of the age.

[James]

Oh joy. I've got to say, teens really get their rights stepped on in every way possible. This is just another in a long line of insults to their dignity.

It's been a while since I was a teen, but it always amazes me how older folk seem to forget they were once that age. Nobody ever 'learns from the mistakes of others', and it's high time folk understand that.

You can't teach responsibility with a leash. Resentment maybe...

[Chico The Amigo]

This is a BAD idea, if ford wanted safety lets see cutain airbags in every car they make; lets see 'giggle' more reliable cars... In My Humble Op.. this is a wetdream come true for the insurance lobby.. eventually this will be a sat activated standard feature.. where your insurance company has the master key and they change the programming on your car real time based on your behavious. Mr. Doofus, you had a light camera ticket.. now we need to curb your speed by 20%... better yet this tech will probably limit your car to 45 MPH in a 45 zone automatically 10 years from now. Welcome to 1984 !

[tea4twofam]

I am shocked how cavalier the reporter is about this topic. I guess he's unaware that we lose 6,000 teens every year on our nation's roads and that the majority of teens who lose their lives are the teen passengers in a car driven by a teen!

In my opinion, any parent who cares about seeing their teen make it safely (and alive) to live beyhond age 18 should make use of whatever technology is available to help keep their teen drivers--and their passengers--safe.

Distraction, inexperience and speed are the leading causes of teen crash fatalities. Coupled with the fact that teens are the worse offenders of NOT wearing seatbelts and it's a no brainer as to the advantage of a "MyKey" type system.

When ABS and air bags came out people paid extra for it but eventually because of the increase in safety to the driver and passenger are now standard on many vehicles (if not all). It wasn't "big brother." How is this any different? It's another layer of safety for our youngest and most inexperienced drivers. A no brainer in my mind.

[John Rettin]

It's interesting how good we have it, to complain and rant about certain aspects of our automobiles. We could have a government car like this video shows (http://www.clicktobroadcast.tv/videos/64).

What would do if thats what you had to drive?!?!?

[George]

Oh those poor teens with their ipods and iphones and gameboys, and their xboxes and playstations - and their parent provided free automobiles.

What right do parents have to purchase a car (paid for with their hard earned money) and limit the availability of some options on the the very same car. How ever will the teens survive!? How dare those mean old parents trample the rights of those poor poor teenagers who just want to blast high decibel thumping racket into other peoples homes day and night - and then speed away.

Google search "ban boom cars" and sign the petition!

[Alexandra Peers]

The driving age should be the same as the voting age, which should be 21. Ford can take that to straight to the bank.

[Elizabeth]

I'm trying not to laugh out loud at all of the people saying that we are trampling on teenagers' rights with the smart key. I teach at a high school and I've tried to treat my students like adults. It doesn't even take them one class period for them to prove that they're still kids and that adults should still make some decisions for them.

Brain research finds that the judgement center of the human brain doesn't mature until around 22 years of age. That's not just an opinion. Brain researchers put people in MRI's and so forth in order to study how long it takes for different parts of the brain to finish growing up.

[Larry]

Someday a young driver will be lawfully passing on a two lane road, he or she will misjudge the time needed, the car will stop accelerating unexpectedly, and the result will be a head-on collision killing the occupants of both vehicles, all because of the speed limiting feature.

Unintended consequences happen.

[Humanist]

"Brain research finds that the judgement center of the human brain doesn't mature until around 22 years of age. That's not just an opinion. Brain researchers put people in MRI's and so forth in order to study how long it takes for different parts of the brain to finish growing up."

It's interesting how misrepresentation of science enforces stereotype and injustice, just like back then when people believe blacks are dumber because they have lower average IQ.

(The Myth of the Teen Brain, Scientific American Mind, April, 2007)

Another reminder here: If you tell any adult that he has to commute to an underfunded institution, get grouped with other adults of the same age, and study exactly what other people of higher echelons tell him to study, what do you expect?

Seriously Elizabeth, do not expect anything more obedient than your "kids".