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Parents Will Love This; Teens, Not So Much
More accurately - young drivers won’t be able to drive over a set limit programmed by their parents. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Ford Lets Parents Set Limits for Teen Drivers, certain 2010 Ford models will now have a standard ignition key that will be programmable with the following features:
- Restrict speed to 80 miles/hour or less
- Radio volume will shut off without seat belt use
- Chime for excessive speed at 45, 55, or 65 miles/hour
Each of these additional levels are placed more for the annoyance factor for young drivers. With either consistent chimes or no music, teens will pay attention to their driving in order to be free of noise and have their tunes. Definitely a positive addition for anyone to navigate the roadways in a safe manner.
Well parents of tweens and teens, what are your thoughts on the offer of a programmable key for new drivers?
As a parent of a tween, my two cents - it is a positive addition to safety and I would definitely look into the purchase of one of the Ford vehicles that offers this option. When this feature is available, 2010, my son will be old enough to begin driving and understanding my son and his attention factor, the annoyance of a set speed limit and constant belt belt reminder can only do him more good than harm.
Yes, kids will be annoyed at their parents choice to purchase a vehicle with these options, but safety is the priority, not the coolness factor. As long as the teen sticks to the set limits, there will be no annoyance… only smooth sailing.
What models will feature the programmed key? The article did not list models to offer this option, but with the intention of it to be used for teens, it will of course be included in the more family-, teen-friendly vehicles. A stab at the Ford models to include this - maybe the Ford Focus, Fusion, Escape, and the Edge.
I also checked out the Ford website for keyword MyKey, the programmable key program, and it returned no results. So, I guess we will see in 2009 when the models begin to roll into dealerships.
Technorati Tags: All Diva Media Network, Parenting Diva, Dannie McClain, parents, teens, drivers, Ford, MyKey
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Dannie,
Ford will begin offering MyKey next year on the 2010 Focus and other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models. You may also be interested that 50 percent of parents who would consider buying MyKey said they’d give their young driver(s) more access to the vehicle. Teens surveyed seemed to think this was a reasonable tradeoff as those who disliked the feature dropped nearly in half - from 67 to 36 percent. We think MyKey could be a win-win for parents and teens. More details are at http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=29172.
Wes Sherwood
Ford Safety Communications Manager