Ford’s safety system watches out for teens

NASHUA – Ah, freedom. For teenagers, the first real taste of it comes with a driver’s license.

But as cars get smarter, kids may have less control over how they drive – even when their parents are nowhere in sight.

Ford is unveiling a new feature on some of its 2010 models that restricts some of the behaviors that can lead to unsafe or distracted driving. The company showed off MyKey on Tuesday at Best Ford in Nashua as part of a national marketing campaign.

Parents program a special key that caps speed and radio volume, makes it impossible to peel out, and sends ping sounds as warnings when speed increases to 45, 55 and 65 mph. The radio in cars equipped with MyKey technology won’t work unless the driver and passenger are wearing seat belts.

Not surprisingly, teenagers aren’t exactly thrilled about the idea.

In a Harris Interactive poll commissioned by Ford, 67 percent of teens said they wouldn’t want a car equipped with the technology. However, if it meant being allowed to borrow the car more often, only 36 percent were against the idea.

Parents generally liked the concept. Three-quarters of teen parents who were polled said they liked the speed-limiting feature; another 72 percent liked the seat belt reminder; and 63 percent like the audio volume limit. More than half said they were worried about their teenagers driving too fast, using cell phones or texting or engaging in other unsafe driving habits.

Statistics show parents have legitimate cause for concern when they hand over the keys.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, teens are more likely to take risks such as speeding, which is a contributing factor in 30 percent of fatal crashes. Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers.

Because teen driving is so risky, it is often a subject of debate. Some parents and safety experts argue the driving age should be increased because 16-year-olds are not mature enough to drive.

Many states, including New Hampshire, have introduced graduated driver’s licenses in the last decade or so. The licenses phase in privileges like driving at night or transporting passengers.

But not everyone believes that technology is the answer to solving the problems associated with teen driving.

“I think in the end it all comes down to the judgement of the driver. I don’t know if you can control the habits of teenagers with a device,” said Joan Lambert, owner of Merrimack-based driving school Nashua Driving Solutions. “I think it gives parents a false sense of security.”

Lambert said she thinks it’s more important for parents to talk to teens about safe driving and spend extra hours practicing with them until they feel confident the teenager will make good decisions. If teenagers can’t turn on the radio without fastening a seat belt, they’ll find another way to listen to music, she said.

“Kids are smart,” Lambert said. “They’ll go back to the old boom boxes on the shoulder or something.”

MyKey, which is standard on the Ford Focus in 2010 and optional on models like the Taurus, Flex, Expedition and F-150, caps speed at 80 mph. That may seem high, but was instituted as a national standard for MyKey because speed limits in Midwestern states like Nebraska and Kansas reach 70 to 75 mph, according to Jennifer Burke, the Ford representative who demonstrated the technology in Nashua.

The Focus now comes with two different keys – a normal one for parents and a programmable version to activate controls for teenagers. Parents can turn off the feature that activates pinging sounds at speeds of 45 mph and above, but the other features are automatically activated every time a MyKey is used. The cars also have a feature that activates the gas light earlier than normal.

Although MyKey is designed to decrease the likelihood of distracted driving, it doesn’t prevent several of the leading causes, including texting, talking on cell phones and having multiple teens in a car.

MyKey isn’t the only option for parents who want to keep a closer eye on their teen drivers. GPS trackers that send information directly to a computer and “car cams” are available but have been controversial because of privacy issues.

MyKey does not allow parents to control the car’s functions from afar; they must be inside the car to program the key.

Ashley Smith can be reached at 594-6446 or asmith@nashuatelegraph.com.