Ford’s MyKey Limits Teen Driving

As has been said, RTFA for those with questions about the speed limiter. Yes it really only limits to 80mph, but that's better than nothing, even though it doesn't do anything for city streets (duh). The seatbelt/volume control is a good idea (most new cars have the seatbelt cry-alarm already). Only time will tell how "hackable" the system becomes. Ford can easily route the system's power through the display and mph/rpm gages and/or lights, thus getting around the fuse-trick. Slap a disclaimer label on the "blackbox" should anyone tamper with it and then complain. Any other way to get around it entirely would require ripping stuff out to try and reverse-engineer some things, which would represent an extremely small percentage of those who try/succeed.

In the end, if it's implemented properly it could do of great help. ~How much depends on acceptance (sales). Yes, parents should do a better job of parenting their kids (duh). How long have we been saying that though? Forever. Ergo, something else needs to be available to help and stop spamming FAIL for every thing, wow. Parents have been doing "FAIL" for years and years and it's not getting any better. I think solutions like this are better than nothing, yet they still need to be well-thought and implemented correctly. I think things like this and increased (good) parenting are needed.
 
When I get a kid, they're not driving some bullshit like this, plain and simple. The kid is going to learn responsibility, and understand the consequences for their actions and learn to live with those choices from the get go. I've always been a believer that if you need a piece of technology to raise your children for you, you need to either make more time for them or give them up to someone who has the time to raise them. Putting on the TV to shut them up so you can cook dinner without setting the house on fire from being distracted is one thing, but having something babying them like this is stupid. what's next? Clothing that detects when a teenager is going to have sex and phones home to tell the parents? Kids are going to be kids. They have to grow up sometime, and they can't grow up if they're not going to learn how to make the right choices, and more importantly, learn from the bad ones.

Seriously, this is just the first step in having robo-nannies.
 
Sovnade said:
The problem with this is that they're not driving responsibly because they SHOULD, they're doing it because they have no choice. If you can't drive responsibly on your own (i.e. no excessive speeding, wear seatbelt), then you don't drive, period. As soon as these kids get a car that doesn't have these lockdowns, they're going to speed, drive recklessly, etc. These parents need to teach their kids to drive safely because it's the right thing to do - not because their car blocks it.
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There's also the fact that a parent is responsible if anything happens. Kid kills someone doing something stupid, parents are responsible. I don't like it, hell, I didn't like it when Mom and Dad were responsible for me, but that's the way the law is written.
 
I'd rather have trusting parents (which I do)... then have all these bullshit "security" measures...

I see some parents that put so many restrictions/limits on their kids, they can't trust them enough to make their own mistakes and learn from them. My parents pretty much let me do whatever I wanted... caused some issues but it worked out in the end :)

Seriously though, I'd be pissed if anything like this was in my car, people not trusting you when you're in the same family as them is annoying... I guess it depends on how bad the kid is, if he's a little jackass I could understand, even setting the limit at 70... :p
 
I don't get why so many people are getting so up in arms about this. This isnt like the parents have a camera watching their kids drive, it limits the top speed to something they shouldnt be driving at anyways, it forces you to wear your seatbelt (do it enough times and it just becomes habit) and doesnt allow you to blast music so loud you cannot hear whats going on outside. I know what having controlling/babying parents is like, but this is not even close.
 
I don't care so long as the system remains optional. I don't need or want it for the car I drive to work everyday.

If parents want to use it then it's their call; I just hope that they know that it's not a replacement for good driving habits, that it could possibly be bypassed by their kids, and that they should only use it if they feel they must.
 
SockMan! said:
I don't care so long as the system remains optional. I don't need or want it for the car I drive to work everyday.

If parents want to use it then it's their call; I just hope that they know that it's not a replacement for good driving habits, that it could possibly be bypassed by their kids, and that they should only use it if they feel they must.
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I think that the parents can turn it off if they are driving the car, I would hope anyway.
 
Bad Idea. I don't need Ford or any other car manufacturer to help me raise my kid. I guess if you love living in a socialist society then this is the thing for you. Until then, piss off Ford.
 
I've got a better idea - kid acts like a doofus, they don't get to drive any car but the one they put in their name. Which means they have to get a job, make their payments, etc.

This way they learn what its like to be an adult trying to figure out how the hell they are going to pay for everything on their piddly highschooler wages. They learn money management AND responsibility to pay for their own shit.
 
SamuraiInBlack said:
When I get a kid, they're not driving some bullshit like this, plain and simple. The kid is going to learn responsibility, and understand the consequences for their actions and learn to live with those choices from the get go. I've always been a believer that if you need a piece of technology to raise your children for you, you need to either make more time for them or give them up to someone who has the time to raise them. Putting on the TV to shut them up so you can cook dinner without setting the house on fire from being distracted is one thing, but having something babying them like this is stupid. what's next? Clothing that detects when a teenager is going to have sex and phones home to tell the parents? Kids are going to be kids. They have to grow up sometime, and they can't grow up if they're not going to learn how to make the right choices, and more importantly, learn from the bad ones.

Seriously, this is just the first step in having robo-nannies.
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We'll talk again when you have a kid. I hope you don't use huggies or bottles, those are technology items. You need to raise your kid without any technology assisting you. Oh and those nanny cams, radios, or the toys, those are technology too.

When your kid goes to the hospital, technology there... toughen up, gotta learn the hard way! ;)
 
Sovnade said:
The problem with this is that they're not driving responsibly because they SHOULD, they're doing it because they have no choice. If you can't drive responsibly on your own (i.e. no excessive speeding, wear seatbelt), then you don't drive, period. As soon as these kids get a car that doesn't have these lockdowns, they're going to speed, drive recklessly, etc. These parents need to teach their kids to drive safely because it's the right thing to do - not because their car blocks it.
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Well said.

BTW, what teenager needs to go 80 mph anyway? What's the lame scenario for that one?
 
Ockie said:
One word: Michigan.
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QFT.

Also, MyKey is implemented through the same module that handles keyless entry/passive entry, passive start, so no, pulling a fuse won't work as both the key AND the module maintain their information in E^2. That being said, all it takes is a kid reading the manual but still...

For a topic other than hackability though, I think its a great idea; 80 is a fine top-speed for any teen, limiting audio-level sounds good to me too, though I think it could stand to do without the seatbelt alarm, and let Darwin take its course on those who STILL REFUSE TO WEAR SEATBELTS IN THE FRONT SEATS FFS.

It could be worse, you could have the GPS system track the route the car is following and fire off an e-mail back home over GSM/CDMA.
 
Sovnade said:
The problem with this is that they're not driving responsibly because they SHOULD, they're doing it because they have no choice. If you can't drive responsibly on your own (i.e. no excessive speeding, wear seatbelt), then you don't drive, period. As soon as these kids get a car that doesn't have these lockdowns, they're going to speed, drive recklessly, etc. These parents need to teach their kids to drive safely because it's the right thing to do - not because their car blocks it.
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Where is this perfect world you live in and how does the rest of society get access to it? I'm not a parent and even I'm not so ignorant as to make such a dumbass statement cause I was once a kid. Dunno what decade you grew up in but the fantasy realm you speak of has long since gone and pass.
 
Atl530i said:
In my area, a lot of teens get a brand new car from their parents. That is not saying anything about the parents. It just teaches the kid not to be responsible anyway. I never got a brand new car, my parents did not even buy my first car, I worked for it. This is something that a lot of teens do not learn, pride in what they have and earn. I only dread the day my son gets a license.

I think what Ford is doing is a good idea. This will help parents breathe easier while their teen is out and about. Maybe other manufacturers still follow suit.
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I take offense to this. I drove a 72 slug bug for 6 months till the engine totally blew out and was not worth fixing. I had 4K saved up and used it to put a down payment on my very first new car. It was a 04 Corolla CE. Paid 13,500$ out the door. So not every teen was spoiled, lets make that clear.
 
i don't know how anyone can think this is a good idea. it is semi-nazi, totalitarian bullshit shoved down our throats. soon it won't be just for teenage drivers. they will push it onto all cars for safety reasons under the guise of potentially eliminating accidents and saving lives. soon we won't have any control over anything because humans are stupid and make poor decisions. this is the first step of a slippery sloap.

i can't stand how new cars all beep at you and bother you for every little thing. door open gets a beep. key in ignition gets a beep. no seatbealts get a beep. it is really annoying! unfortunately it seems that things are only going to get worse...
 
if you're driving with your car door open, then you deserve to be annoyed.
 
Ockie said:
This is great. Too bad it can't be implimented in older cars short of adding a wood edge behind the gas pedals :D


As for the comment on who drives new cars... umm... an assload of spoiled kids. Also, keep in mind, this is a focus which is relativley cheap and would entice parents to buy new cars more with features like these.
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well you can do it on the old cars. Just requires the EFI system of the new cars :(

DBW throttle makes this possible. More than likely a table that has two vectors.

X is the speed of vehicle
Y is DBW position

when "MyKey" is active, limit DBW to Y % based on X speed.

BTW only reason I know this is that MoTeC DBW control system is based on either 2d or 3d tables :)

In the end little boys and girls. If your rents are flipping the coin to get you this nice shiney new car. Beggers can not be choosers!
 
figgie said:
well you can do it on the old cars. Just requires the EFI system of the new cars :(

DBW throttle makes this possible. More than likely a table that has two vectors.

X is the speed of vehicle
Y is DBW position

when "MyKey" is active, limit DBW to Y % based on X speed.

BTW only reason I know this is that MoTeC DBW control system is based on either 2d or 3d tables :)

In the end little boys and girls. If your rents are flipping the coin to get you this nice shiney new car. Beggers can not be choosers!
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I would leave out the engineering and thought process and just stick a wood wedge under the gas pedals, lmao :D

But yes, if your parents gets you a brand new car, why even complain, seriously. If my parents did that for me, I wouldn't care if it was 20mph limited, I'd be super happy.
 
The speed limiter thing reminds me of when my parents joked about getting me one of those electric only cars that would only get up to 30-35mph tops. I asked how the hell I was gonna manage to get to school or work and they just said I'd have to use the back roads... I guess I can spin the fact that my parents could never afford to buy me a car as a good thing now.
 
Ockie said:
I would leave out the engineering and thought process and just stick a wood wedge under the gas pedals, lmao :D

But yes, if your parents gets you a brand new car, why even complain, seriously. If my parents did that for me, I wouldn't care if it was 20mph limited, I'd be super happy.
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lol

to funny! :D


I just had a better idea! A freind of mine is a Dwarf. So he uses the pedal extension to reach the gas and brake pedals. Turn those around and those are adjustable! DONE!

Of course my way.

They behave. They get more speed. They missbehave. And 30 mph top speed that takes about 1 minute to get there is a short upload away ;)
 
Its just funny how hypocritical parents are with there kids , parents have a weird need to supress anything that might overly change or damage there kids and thats fine but cutting out the experiences of life like driving down the street with your music high and the windows down thats just retarded. I can understand parents wanting to keep there kids in line as well , I was a bastard when I was a teenager and I knew plenty of much worse kids that could have used a beat down to say the least, restricting kids however ALWAYS backfires and badly. If you have that much of an issue with your kid you should talk to them and try to find a way to connect with them again through whatever guidance you can find with them , not hope for some business to come along and form a model of restriction "against teens" in the hopes of obtaining your money.
 
Godmachine said:
Its just funny how hypocritical parents are with there kids , parents have a weird need to supress anything that might overly change or damage there kids and thats fine but cutting out the experiences of life like driving down the street with your music high and the windows down thats just retarded.
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What is retarded is speeding with music blaring wearing no seatbelts....
 
SockMan! said:
So they're trying to use technology to solve a behavioral problem? Good luck with that.
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Well, no one said they were trying to "solve" this... But, the idea of it could make people feel better. All warm and fuzzy inside, helps them sleep, etc.

SockMan! said:
The speed limiter is of limited use since it wouldn't prevent someone from doing 65 in a school zone.
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I remember a quote ive seen somewhere : "Speed doesnt kill, speeding does". Id have a better chance of killing myself or someone else on the freeway, doing half the speed limit, than I would doing twice the speed limit in a school zone, on a school day. How so?

If a freeway is congested, lets say 8 lanes each direction, people will be looking for a lane to change into. The right hand lane, ends in 3/4 mile. Right lane EXIT ONLY. Its empty, all 3 lanes to the left of it are crammed full of cars. If I do 35mph down this lane in my heavy truck, and someone in a honda says "ooh empty lane"... bam. Doing half the speed limit, but going over twice the speed of the rest of traffic.

SockMan! said:
The top speed limiter might be useful, but why not just install a less powerful engine to begin with? US passenger cars already have overpowered engines and installing a limiter seems counter intuitive.
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Ahem... *recently built* US passenger cars have overpowered engines. Also, japanese german and probably even chinese built cars. I would be hard pressed to find one full size car under 200hp. This is why the 1980s should be the only decade for teen drivers, (with the exception of 1990s for 1.0L 3cyl geo metro). Massive cars of the 1970s weighing in over 2 tons, with the power-to-weight ratio of a camel, and the fuel efficency of a car with a gaping hole in its fuel tank.

I drive a '86 F250 diesel... and let me just say, GOOD LAWD. 170hp, nearly 6,000lbs, 3spd automatic. Im lucky to hit 45mph before Im at the end of a freeway onramp. Fuel economy is 13-14mpg @ 55mph, 9-10mpg @ 65mph. I also used to have a 1984 VW rabbit diesel. 45hp, that car couldnt even get out of its own way. Racing it on the street? Race what, an old grandma pushing a walker around?

SockMan! said:
The system will probably be fairly easy to hack too.
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With parents being a bit behind their children on the latest of technology, I wouldnt doubt this.
 
Ockie said:
We'll talk again when you have a kid. I hope you don't use huggies or bottles, those are technology items. You need to raise your kid without any technology assisting you. Oh and those nanny cams, radios, or the toys, those are technology too.

When your kid goes to the hospital, technology there... toughen up, gotta learn the hard way! ;)
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So what you're basically saying is everything or nothing. Are you telling me I don't have the choice to raise my kid the way I see fit? If there is a tech that I don't like then I will decide. I am the parent of my child not Ford and not you.
 
Vengance_01 said:
I take offense to this. I drove a 72 slug bug for 6 months till the engine totally blew out and was not worth fixing. I had 4K saved up and used it to put a down payment on my very first new car. It was a 04 Corolla CE. Paid 13,500$ out the door. So not every teen was spoiled, lets make that clear.
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I never said that every teen is spoiled. Read my entire post. My exact words were "This is something that a lot of teens do not learn, pride in what they have and earn." A lot does not mean every...
 
twatt said:
So what you're basically saying is everything or nothing. Are you telling me I don't have the choice to raise my kid the way I see fit? If there is a tech that I don't like then I will decide. I am the parent of my child not Ford and not you.
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Haha, way to take it and spin that post. You must work for the media? No?
 
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