Ford’s MyKey Technology Aimed at Teenage Drivers

[russellw]

MyKey technology debuts in Australia in September 2013

Ford's MyKey technology enables owners and parents to place certain restrictions on young drivers to promote safer driving; limits the top speed, reduces maximum audio volume, and overrides deactivation of driver assistance and safety technology

Speed alert and additional reminders for drivers ,V seatbelt reminders do not time out

SYDNEY, 13 Aug, 2013 ,V Ford's global MyKey technology will be launched in the new Ford Fiesta ST hatch when it goes on sale in September 2013.

The MyKey system forms a part of the new Ford Fiesta's safety and driver assistance features, which also includes Ford's Intelligent Protection System with seven airbags.
MyKey is an industry-first technology that allows parents to program a key that limits top speed, reduces maximum radio volume, disables the radio until the seatbelts are fastened and prevents deactivation of driver assistance and safety technologies.

It works by recognising different keys for the same car and adjusting the vehicle settings according to the owner's requirements.

Owners are able to set the system so:

* The audio system is disabled completely if seatbelts are not used
* Chimes sound at set points between 70 km/h and 140 km/h to highlight when the vehicle is travelling at higher speeds
* Seatbelt reminders do not time out
* In addition to the typical low-fuel warnings, an earlier low-fuel warning is delivered at 120 km ; that aims to reduce the likelihood the driver will run out of fuel
* Safety technologies such as Dynamic Stability Control cannot be deactivated

"This is a significant safety feature for young drivers, who are over-represented in crash-related statistics in Australia,," Ford Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, Sales and Service and Lincoln, Jim Farley, said. "MyKey provides some direct parental control over their car. It allows owners to set sensible restrictions for young drivers and delivers piece-of-mind for parents.,"

Figures in Australia show that young drivers are over-represented in road accident fatality and injury statistics. One of the leading causes of death among young Australians aged between 15 and 24 years is injury, and transport accidents account for more injury-related deaths than any other cause.

[2011G6E]

Many years back in the Corvette...the first one with the LT1 EFI engine in it because computer management meant it could be done easily...some models had what was called a "Valet Key".
There was a hidden key hole in the center console that used a separate key (which you kept on a different keyring obviously) and when turned, it would limit the revs to half normal, limit speed to something like 50mph, and limit the power output to half as well. The idea was that when you handed your pride and joy over to a parking valet, you turned it so Chuckles didn't go hooning around in your Corvette.

The first thing that popped into my mind was your son asking if he could get a loan of your car for a date...and handing over the keys with a smile after having turned the Valet lock...

[Bushbasher]

That's a great idea and it gave me a good laugh, especially the bit about the audio restrictions..... and it'll probably work right up till the time some pimply faced over achiever works out how to hack the key or the car and knobble the system.

[M&Ms]

Many years ago people were also responsible for their own selves through their own actions and inactions.

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by M&Ms

Many years ago people were also responsible for their own selves through their own actions and inactions.

This...what a waste of time..good to see Fords subliminal PR machine is in force tonight.

[2011G6E]

The thing is this: today, even a "cheap four cylinder car" makes more power than a lot of V8's of a few decades ago.

The last of the "romping stomping 351 Clevelands" only made 150-odd kilowatts. Yawn. Lots of torque, yes, but no power by todays standards. Of course, at the time a four cylinder was wheezing it's way through between 40 and 60kw...maybe up to 80 in the case of some twin cam Euro stuff, but they were unreliable and expensive. Most young guys and girls had to make do with underpowered stuff that didn't make much power at all.

Today if mum or dad buy their kid a fairly normal four cylinder car, some of them are putting out power figures which would have been miraculous even ten or twenty years ago.

[mik]

Well done Ford, bloody brilliant, i can relate to this, as a young buck i used to borrow dear step dads cars, if only he knew ........

[OzJavelin]

I'm usually pretty anti-technology in cars but this seems like a good idea .. leveraging systems already in the vehicle and just customising how they are enabled/disabled.