7:54 pm | 1 recommendation | 2 comments

Ford Lets Parents Control Kids' Cars

Since the dawn of time, parents have shaken their fists at misbehaving teenagers who careen around town whilst enjoying the freedom of the open road. Ford [F] is seeking to change that dynamic and come to many a parent's aid. In the process, they'll be making driving an irritating hell for restless kids.

Ford's new MyKey system has several features, but the flagship is a speed governor that limits vehicles to 80MPH. In addition, the system can chime when the car reaches 45, 55 and 65MPH, to warn drivers that they're speeding up. This blogger is under the impression that those chimes won't do much except keep kids from braking, so that they don't have to hear the chime every time their speed fluctuates.

And no, they can't just turn up the radio to drown out the chime; the MyKey system also lets parents set volume limits on the sound system. More usefully, it will chirp when you're 75 miles from an empty gas tank, and when seatbelts aren't buckled.

MyKey will debut on the 2010 Ford Focus model; watch out for road-raging high schoolers one these cars are on the road.