Teen Driver Profile for New Fords

by Jordan Yerman | October 9, 2008 at 11:35 am

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Vehicles can have multiple fuel-consumption profiles, but this is the first I've heard of an overall operational profile. Ford will be rolling out a feature called MyKey, which allows the different keys to force different functionality when driving, geared toward encouraging safer driving by teens. I like how the stereo is held hostage until the seatbelt is engaged.

Ford's MyKey feature – which debuts next year as standard equipment on the 2010 Focus coupe and will quickly become standard on many other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models – allows owners to program a key that can limit the vehicle's top speed and audio volume. MyKey also encourages safety-belt usage, provides earlier low-fuel warnings and can be programmed to sound chimes at 45, 55 and 65 miles per hour.

Would limiting the top speed on a Ford Focus have any real-world effect? Just askin'.

More than half of parents surveyed worry that their teen-age children are driving at unsafe speeds, talking on hand-held cell phones or texting while driving, or otherwise driving distracted. More than a third of parents also are concerned that their teens do not always buckle their safety belts when driving.

Of course, automation in the car's cabin cannot really monitor the last two concerns. Common sense and decent training have to step in at some point.

(found via boingboing)