by Lisa Piper

Created on: June 10, 2010

Ford’s MyKey is the latest technology developed by the Ford Motor Company. MyKey is a key that parents can program to be sure that their teens are not speeding, listening to music too loud, and are wearing their seatbelts. Once the key is inserted into the ignition, the car reads the chip and responds to the controls that parents have previously set. MyKey will come standard with the 2010 Ford Focus beginning this summer. There are many benefits to using the MyKey technology.

One major benefit is reminding teens to wear seatbelts. This is a part of Ford’s Beltminder system. A 6 second chime will go off every minute for the entire length of the drive when using MyKey. Also, until the seatbelt is buckled, the radio will be muted. If your teen would like to listen to music and avoid the chime while driving, the seatbelt must be buckled. This is an important safety feature.

Another benefit is that using MyKey helps to keep your teen from speeding. Parents can limit the car’s top speed while programming the key and a speed alert chime can be set for 45, 55, or 65, mph. This serves as a reminder for your teen to watch their speed. This will assist in keeping your teen safe, while also improving fuel economy by limiting the speed at which your teen drives. The system has an earlier low-fuel warning that begins sounding at 75 miles to empty, as opposed to the normal 50 miles to empty warning.

MyKey will not allow some other safety features currently installed in Fords to be deactivated. Some of these are the traction control system, Park Aid, and the Blind Spot Information System. The more information teens have while driving, the safer they can be. These cut down on the frequency of accidents by letting drivers know if there is a car that is not in direct view.

With MyKey, parents can limit the volume of audio. The volume can be limited to 40 percent of the total volume. This will help teens to pay attention to their driving as well as hear sirens from fire engines, ambulances, and police vehicles.

There are many benefits to Ford’s MyKey technology. These will allow teens more freedom to drive and still assure parents that their teens are driving safely. MyKey cuts down on reckless accidents and gives parents more peace of mind.

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