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?

Hey...this was our honeymoon. We had a room under Mr. and Mrs. Hotbyte...no backseat that night

+1 on the cell phone shutoff

I am going thru this right now, my daughter turned 16 in August. She's had drivers ed, a talk with our ins. agent, lectures from mom and dad, and as much practice as I can give her behind the wheel. She is very responsible (as teens go), and gets excellent grades. I just bought her a car (2000 Honda CR-V) but told her she needed to support it - this means a job. She got a job at Super Target and will be making the insurance and putting gas in it. She's already make a couple comments that started with "I didn't realize....." She's gettting a taste of the real world.
OK, I'm rambling, but at this time in my life your words hit home with me Al - I see it first hand.
I'd like to see a version of the key, or a progamable feature that, along with killing the cell if the cars in drive, senses occupants and won't start unless their seatbelts are fastened, I like the limit of the stereo volume, and, since I will be limiting the number passangers at first, the car will not start if more than the specified number of occupants are sensed.

Oh yea, how about a feature that will eject all male passangers ages 15-20, chastity belt, anyone know where to get one? Plans for building a mote? Alligators, gonna need some of those too

I think Fords key is a good idea as long as it's used as an assist to responsible parenting, not as a substitute.