They introduced the MyKey system today. Parents can set speed limits on their kids; set limits on how loud the stereo can be; seat-belt reminders...

What happened to parental upbringing that put these things in the kids head? The parents are being let off the hook again by letting someone else set the limits (kind of).

So as you can tell, I'm not really for this, but chime in with your thoughts...

If you want to read about - http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081006/AUTO01/810060398

I tend to agree with you Mark...

I agree with you on the parenting thing, BUT....
I've seen too many kids today end up in serious crashes, one died. Good parents, good upbringing, just too much influence from friends and the culture. Would i want this for my kid today? Absolutely.

I would not have liked it when i was a growing up but it probally would not have been a bad idea.

I cant think of any objections at this point to the speed limiter. I have great parents and was a pretty responsible kid. However, I still thought driving at 100+ mph was ok, if you were a skilled driver like I was in my teens and early 20s.

I don’t know, my parents were all over setting rules and trying to impose limits. I however, was not the best listener....

The trouble is, what will people think when the kids' actual parents are no longer in control, and The Nanny takes over? I like the concept, but the technology should be feared IMO.

To say nothing of the idea that if you're old enough to be behind the wheel, you're old enough to reap the benefits AND suffer the consequences.

+1
i have a hard time not thinking that just about every teen is going to push and exceed their parental guidelines in an effort to find their own,
let that happen with their political, moral, or social views, and keep driving on today's highways a bit more regulated

Anybody notice that was WalterMutt's 10,000 post??

whoo-hooo!

I'm against this whole concept. You have to respect the machine for what it is capable of doing. Cars kill, and you have to know how to operate them so they don't. Limiting the speed or volume of the music will not make a bad driver (like all teens are) a good driver. The onus is on the operator to be in control of the vehicle 100%, 100% of the time. If a kid can't manage that responsibility, they shouldn't be behind the wheel of the car. It's up to parents to teach their kids how to be responsible for their actions, and if they fail there, it's pretty evident in all aspects of a kid's life. Handicapping a car isn't going to fix the problem.

It will use a special "kid Key" ? Look for a black market in adult, no limit keys.

Its nice to have that confidence in your children. I hope that I do when mine get to that age. I've learned a lot about the development of the teenaged brain from a friend whose 22 year old son is an addict and the parents have dealt with psychologists for several years. Without getting in depth, there is sufficient evidence, as far I am concerned, that teenagers do not process information in the same way as a mature adult, which helps explain risky behavior of teenagers. That is to say that risky behavior may be inherent to teenagers, despite our best parenting.

Based on my own personal experience and what I have since learned, I will not be buying my son or daughters a high performance car. That is not to say a 90 hp Honda can not be dangerous, just saying...

When my kids turn 16, getting a license is not a given. I will need to have a high degree of confidence they will be deserving of the responsibility to drive, nanny car or not.

Sounds like Ford is tapping on to parental fears and hope to offer something people will buy into.

The arguments on both sides of this issue are compelling. When I think about the things I did with my Dad's 62 Ford station wagon, I can see the use of such keys. And it is not a lot of modification needed. The keys can already be set with seat position and other controls. The keyless entry system can also be used to set the seats. I doubt that keys will still exist in another ten years. There will be a sensor that will keep track of who is authorized to drive the car. Where the special key system may have its greatest benefits is with those who are restricted by the courts. I would love to see a car that can read the driver's condition from the grip on the wheel and determine if they are able to drive. It could then be programmed to call the police, ambulance, or taxi as required.

It still falls upon the parent to establish the limits, but we are exploring the ways that technology can improve parenting skills. This falls under the same category as the gps tracking systems and special cell phones for kids.

My concern is that it could put an unrealistic trust into the technology. If 2 cars with speed limiter set to 30 collide head on, somebody is likely gonna be seriously hurt or killed. Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen when a parent sets a limiter and kid still gets hurt or injured. It would have to be all Ford's fault at that point!

I agree HB, they are likely to get sued.

I read also where Ford will have some radar/braking system to warn of a potential collison coming out soon also.
Ok, I went and found a link to that story before I posted. Ford's Latest Safety Brake-through -- Collision Warning With Brake Support

It's been done before (sorta)...The first C4 ZR-1 Corvettes had a "valet" setting that limited engine power by allowing only the tiny primary side of the intake to feed the engine. This left the car with all the power of a bad running Pinto. Whether they trusted their kids or not, it's a pretty good bet every dad that let Junior drive his Vette had the valet setting "on"...

Or if you have a kid that gets a bunch of speeding tickets, it would have prevented high insurance (who, the kid going to pay for it?), bad credit, and so on.

I have some advice for you parents with kids still in their teens. And I am sure anyone with adult kids will agree with me.

Regardless of how well you bring your kids up, how responsible you teach them to be, all kids tend to go through a period of rebellion. This might be in their early or late teens, or at least hopefully before adult hood - but sometimes it happens then as well.

As they will generally turn out OK as they get older, but there will be a point where I think it is the "rite-of-adulthood" that your kids will go through a period of I know everything, I can do anything I want, etc. But then, they get into the "real-world" where they actually have to support themselves in life, and then decide; maybe dad wasn't so dumb afterall.

But it will pass.

I suppose if I had one of those gadgets for my vehicle when my kids went through that period, yea, I'd use it. But I would like to also have a shutoff on the vehicle so that you could not use the cell phone at the same time as driving the car.

What could be next for parents?

Video/web cams in the car seeing who is in it with your kids? Video/web cams to see where they are driving? Speakers directly to the car from the parent to warn of brake lights ahead?

Maybe some of this is already out there. There is already the GPS in phones to locate your kids (or at least their phone).

I just think we are going to far. Yes people make mistakes but when should the parents let go? Age 18? 20? 25? 35? 45? 55? 65? Never?

Maybe, I'm hijacking my own thread...

Had this technology been available when my adult kids were in their teens I have done it in an instant.

Al pretty much said it all. NO matter now much you teach your kids, when they leave the house with the car they tend to lose that sense of responsibility and control.

They are then under the influence of their peers and all too often they end up dead or seriously injured.

I understand that GFC. My point is when do parents need to learn to let go?

I recall reading about you accelerating through a turn on the freeway a few months back; possibly pushing the limit a bit. Is that really the "adult" thing to be doing? Should your dad be looking over your shoulder still?

And don't get me wrong here, I'm not picking on you (GFC) or anyone in particular.

Quick story - When my kids were younger (in 4th and 5th grade), it was a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. My wife and I were working in the yard. I felt they needed to be outside enjoying the spring weather. I told them to shut the TV off and get outside and have some fun. They rode off on their bikes. 15 minutes later my oldest one comes running into the yard holding her mouth. She wiped out on her bike, went over the handle bars and broke a permanent top front tooth, dislocated the one side of her jaw and broke the other side of her jaw. To this day she still has problems. To this day I still kick myself for telling them to get outside and play.

Point is - We can't always be there for our kids and we can go to far in trying to protect them sometimes. There has to be a limit to how far we should go. Are we getting to that point now?

Again not picking on anyone and not trying to cause a fight. Just wanting people to realize there has to be a limit.

I have to agree that there has to be a limit on the limits you place. There are many things kids can do which is detrimental, drugs, alcohol, fighting, etc. These are difficult to control and you have to trust your kid. But, if you can remove one variable of injury, such as voluntary high speed, wouldn't you do it? One time at high speed can be deadly, one lapse of judgement. i don't want that on my conscience.

Mark-It seems like you are reading too much into it. I bet most folks who can see a potential benefit from a speed limiter for a teenage driver know where the boundaries are.

I used to swim in a lake unattended by adults as a kid. My dad did not want me to go one day with some friends. I begged and begged. He relented and I went swimming. I saved a 3 year old girl from drowing that day. I was the only one around and saw a floating toy. I went in the water to get it and there she was under the water, over her head. She was also going after the toy. Mom was in the parking area looking for her. The point of this is...hell I dont know. Your regret for making your daughter go outside made me think of it. Little decisions can have life changing consequences.

The limiter is set at 80 mph, so that is not any big deal. But it may save on insurance and be worth it. Every kid I knew growing up, was fully aware of the top speed of Dad's car. My Mom's car could do over 140 mph. (65 Fury III, 383 HiPo). I mostly drove the 62 Ford station wagon with the 352 base engine we called the tank. The new system allows the parents to set a speed limit of 45, 55, or 65 mph, but it only blinks at you if you go over. It also can be more insistant about not buckling up.

What the kids will really dread is when there is a little black box that tracks data for the parents like speeds, g-forces, passenger number and activities, cell phone use, and numerous other features.

I think that we could also see a feature mandated in new cars that would force you to plug your cell phone into a handsfree system before it can communicate outside the vehicle. That would be a real can of worms.

My dad had an '86 Diesel Jetta, venerable 47hp, 5 speed. Chicks dig a puff of black smoke. Top speed was easily attained in his car.

37 MPH?

down hill with a tail wind

Admiral and I took our honeymoon in an early 80's VW Rabbit diesel. Transmission on my truck at the time, an 81 or so Chevy Luv diesel, crapped out so my dad let us use the Rabbit. We stopped overnight in Atlanta for at a fancy hotel. This was a cold December and next morning it cranked right up. I was worried since he usually put a small light under hood to keep it warm in freezing temps. A few diesel Mercedes in the parking lot were having problems though.

Backseat a little cramped in the rabbit, Hotbyte?