"Safe Key" or "Hassle Key"?
NEIRAD enilno edition
The new “Mykey” from Ford may not be what new drivers are looking for. With features that allow parents to control how their children drive, high school students might see the key as a way to limit their freedom, rather than seeing it as a way to keep them safe.
“I think that parents and students are going to have different opinions on this, parents want to keep their children safe and out of trouble, but teens don’t want that amount of parental control on their driving, it’s one of the few sources of freedom we have,” said sophomore Tommy Festo.
The new Mykey does not allow you to start the car without your seatbelt buckled, which is a great way to keep kids safe on the road. Other features like speed control are a little bit more controversial, because some kids when they get their new car aren’t looking from going to point A to point B—they’re looking to go fast.
Mykey implements an 80mph speed cap, preventing teenagers from getting out of control on highways. So if you go off to Germany and bring your car with you, your max speed dreams on the autobahn may be farther off in the distance than you think. If you do end up going off to Germany, hitting up a highway with no speed limit might not be as adrenaline filled as it should.
Mykey even sounds a chime whenever the car travels over 45, 55, and 65 mph, keeping drivers aware of how fast they are going.
“When I get my car I want to do donuts and go as fast as I can” says sophomore Zach Hyde. With the new key this may not be possible anymore, because the key prevents traction reduction so donuts may be out of the question.
One good thing for everybody is that Ford plans to collect data on the effectiveness of Mykey and hopes to persuade insurance companies to provide discounts for families who use the key. Insurance discounts aren’t the only way Mykey helps car owners save money, it also saves gas by making drivers slow down. Mykey is a savior for all families that try to go to bed early at night, because it prevents teenagers from blasting music through the streets by setting a maximum volume for the car stereo.
Mykey is expected to come with new Ford models in 2010, and it will come standard on selected models. Ford has already been using keys with computer chips in them that don’t unlock a car unless it recognizes the chip, helping prevent car thefts.
Even with these advantages, teenagers continue to question the Mykey. Sophomore Will Kerr says “What happens when there’s an emergency, and I need to drive over 80mph?”
Kerr comes up with a good argument, but it is just a price drivers are going to have to pay when the new key comes out in 2010, standard with all new Ford cars.
Teens may not like not having the ability to blast their stereos, do donuts in the parking lot to show off to friends, and go above 80mph, Mykey still has some great features to keep drivers safe. Who knows? Mykey may end up saving your life.
