Today’s USA Today reports that Ford Motor Company is unveiling something new, aimed at helping teen drivers practice safe driving.
MyKey lets parents configure one key as the teen’s. When the car is started with MyKey, top speed can be limited to 80 mph, and chimes can be set to sound at 45 mph, 55 mph and 65 mph.
Seat belt use is encouraged in two ways: If the driver and passenger don’t put on their belts, a chime sounds until they do. Possibly more important to teens: The audio system won’t turn on until the front two passengers are buckled up.
It can also max out the audio at half volume (which is still plenty loud), keep track of the young driver’s mileage and provide earlier low-fuel warnings than standard. full article
When I read this article my first thought was that a ton of young people are going to be very disappointed. There is a certain thrill about breaking the rules, or even just having the potential to break the rules (remember Adam and Eve). And while I would be happy to know the roads are a little safer with this, I think that it misses the point.
It almost seems like they are taking the responsibility out of driving. Think about this how may young people are going to get the keys only on the basis that these stipulations are levied against them? Sure it makes it easier for parents, but it is just treating symptoms rather than the problem of poor judgment.
What to you think? Is this a good thing, bad thing, a way out for parents, a way into the driver seat for kids? Let me know.
2 Responses
Instantly I think of my cousin, just turning 16 and getting a car… which normally makes me cringe. So this seems to be a great solution to irresponsible driving… until I realize that almost all my “responsibility” was learned from mistakes. If we don’t have a personal reference that impacts you in a way to take more care, it seems less likely that care will thrive when those training wheels are taken off. I still remember my first accident in college. I wasn’t even going 25 mph down a wet main street but incidentally rear-ended a Jeep when he stopped for a pedestrian. I learned the person in front of me doesn’t always do what you expect.
I honestly like this idea. It would work for me, but I don’t exactly see myself going over 80 on a highway or blasting Beethoven on the Golden Mile (well… that I could see.) But some kids my age just don’t HAVE responsiblity, and this may be an easy fix; however, kids still need to be taught things in life. So I guess I’m so-so.