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Ford introducing parental control

Ford Motor Company is introducing MyKey, designed to help parents
encourage their teenagers to drive safer and more fuel efficiently, and
increase safety-belt usage.

The new feature, which debuts next year as standard equipment on the
2010 Ford Focus and will quickly become standard on many other Ford,
Lincoln and Mercury models, allows owners to programme 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 mph.

The MyKey system allows the parent to programme any key through the
vehicle message center, which updates the SecuriLock passive anti-theft
system.  When the MyKey is inserted into the ignition, the system reads
the transponder chip in the key and immediately identifies the MyKey
code, which enables certain default driving modes, including:

   *
     Persistent Ford Beltminder with audio mute.  This system typically
provides a six-second reminder chime every minute for five minutes.
With MyKey, the Beltminder chime continues at the regular interval and
the audio system is muted until the safety belt is buckled. A message
centre display “Buckle Up to Unmute Radio” also appears on the
instrument cluster.
   *
     Earlier low-fuel warning.  Rather than a warning at 50 miles to
empty, MyKey provides a warning at 75 miles to empty.
   *
     If MyKey is in the ignition, features such as Park Aid and BLISTM
(Blind Spot Information System) with Cross Traffic Alert cannot be
deactivated.

Additional MyKey features that can be programmed through the vehicle’s
message centre setup menu:

   *
     Limited top speed of 80 mph
   *
     Traction control system, that limits tyre spin, cannot be
deactivated
   *
     Limited audio volume to 44 per cent of total volume
   *
     A speed alert chime at 45, 55 or 65 mph

Using MyKey to teach teens to avoid speeding can provide an added
benefit – improved fuel economy.  Ford research shows that driving 55
mph instead of 65 mph consumes 15 per cent less fuel, and mastering
other eco-driving habits such as avoiding jackrabbit starts and
excessive idling can help improve fuel economy by more than 50 per cent.

“MyKey can help promote safer driving, particularly among teens, by
encouraging seat belt use, limiting speed and reducing distractions,”
said Susan Cischke, Ford group vice president of Sustainability,
Environment and Safety Engineering.

MyKey is appealing to parents of teen drivers, including 75 per cent who
like the speed-limiting feature, 72 per cent who like the more insistent
safety-belt reminder, and 63 per cent who like the audio limit feature,
according to a recent Harris Interactive Survey conducted for Ford.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
teens are more likely to take risks such as speeding – a contributing
factor in 30 per cent of all fatal crashes. Teens also are less likely
to wear safety belts than older drivers.

Teens surveyed by Harris said they are largely open to MyKey if it means
they will have more freedom to drive.  Initially, 67 per cent of teens
polled said they wouldn’t want MyKey features.  However, if using MyKey
would lead to greater driving privileges, only 36 per cent would object
to the technology.

“We’ve upgraded an existing, proven technology – the SecuriLock passive
anti-theft system – with some simple software upgrades to develop a new
unique feature that we believe will resonate with customers,” said Jim
Buczkowski, director, Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering –
the same team that developed SYNC in partnership with Microsoft.  “We
also developed MyKey’s functions in such a way to quickly spread it
across multiple vehicle lines, giving us the ability to go mass market
in the spirit of other Ford innovations such as safety belts, stability
control and SYNC.”

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