Younger drivers pay more in car insurance because the statistics suggest that they’re riskier driving prospects. Part of that risk comes from electronic distractions such as text messaging. Starting from next year, Ford’s MyKey will enable parents to limit their children’s in-car access to obvious SMS and phone messages, with the prospect of blocking speeding also on the horizon.
MyKey works by selectively blocking Bluetooth-enabled tones from getting through the car’s sound system, instead sending all calls to voicemail and SMS messages silently to the phone itself. The video below is (rather obviously) for the US models, where there are subtle differences.
In the US, MyKey can also be used to send speed alert chimes to your leaden-footed teens as well, but there’s no current timeline on when or if we’ll see those features. Ford representative told me that the anti-speeding feature isn’t currently available here, and that it’s something that’ll
roll out over time through the Ford group in specific markets. A lot of work is required to ‘localise’ many new technologies so they work in Australia conditions and this is something Ford is continually doing as newer vehicles are sold here.”
I think the idea is exemplary — far too many young people (I used to be young… once) die senselessly on the road. That being said, all your teen has to do to bypass it is switch Bluetooth off on their phone, and it’ll ring as per normal, making it all rather moot. [Ford http://www.ford.com.au/]
Matt
Monday, November 7, 2011 at 1:20 PMThis shouldn’t just be aimed at young people (although they are the major offenders in this case) Day after day I see people of all ages with their eyes down on their phone or making calls. People just don’t get the message.
Good on Ford for taking a step in the right direction.
wsDK_II
Monday, November 7, 2011 at 1:23 PMwho can afford such a good car though, at such an early age?
i am in my early 20′s, driving an early 90s car. I wish i could get something better but at 60% of my income going into housing BEFORE anything else, i cant afford it.
On a seperate note, i would never get a car that acts like Big Brother.
Roman
Monday, November 7, 2011 at 2:39 PMit’s for overprotective parents who spend more time working then teaching their kids to focus on driving and not their phones.
Francis M
Monday, November 7, 2011 at 7:20 PMOr more correctly it’s a gimick for parents who know little about technology and don’t realise that if the kids just disable bluetooth pairing and use the phone directly this technology does nothing.
Mark
Monday, November 7, 2011 at 1:24 PMLimiting a cars speed is going too far, there are situations where speeding can save your life..
Virus__
Monday, November 7, 2011 at 1:47 PMYep, especially when you have right morons tailgating you.
Also if it works via bluetooth, who the hell has bluetooth on all the time? That drains the battery faster than I like.
steve
Monday, November 7, 2011 at 1:48 PMSo turn off bluetooth, system averted?
Sean
Monday, November 7, 2011 at 1:56 PMSo, turn off bluetooth, have no hands free access, answer the phone manually and die in a fiery crash. Well thought out Ford.
Puddiepants
Monday, November 7, 2011 at 1:57 PMI think that anyone who thinks this is a good idea and would be bothered to turn on their bluetooth to stop them texting and calling whilst driving would already not text or call whislt driving, the rest will continue doing as they currently do, safely or otherwise…
mike
Monday, November 7, 2011 at 2:12 PMI think some bentleys are electromagnetically sheilded so you cant get any reception from inside the car. You have to dock/connect your phone to get any external communication. This would then allow the car to control/allow calls or texts. Eg only allow incoming calls or calls from its built in hands free and disable all texts. Something like that.
Will
Monday, November 7, 2011 at 2:42 PMunfortunatly it doesnt work like that. yes those bentlys have built in phones but most phones nowadays dont have availiability to dock external antenna and you cant turn off the shielding. id also like to point out as a parent if i had a choice between letting them use the bluetooth to recieve calls with AND sms and having them turn off the bluetooth and recieve calls and sms without hands free at all…im going with using bluetooth.
Sicarius123
Monday, November 7, 2011 at 2:54 PMSo instead of young people safely using bluetooth, they’ll be distracted by their actual phone handset instead?
Anyone who thinks an 18 year old will just go “damn, I’ll have to live with that” is an idiot. They wont sync their phone to bluetooth in the first place making it more dangerous.
Since when did the world go crazy enough to think hands free is just as dangerous as using the handset?