Ford has a new MyKey system that aims to help teens drive much safer, considering the fact that those who have just received their new driving license tend to think they’re immortal or something along the lines, only to find out much later that a car has its limits and real world driving is totally different from video games, no matter how many laps you have done at home in Gran Turismo. The MyKey system from Ford enables parents to limit not only the speed of the vehicle, but the audio volume as well. That’s pretty nifty and interesting – after all, teens need to let out their angst through music, so a cap on volume level is most welcome to geezers like me.

The MyKey feature will roll out in 2009 onwards as standard equipment on the 2010 Focus coupe, and it will also be a standard feature on other Ford models to follow including the Lincoln and Mercury lines. Owners will be able to program a key to limit the vehicle’s top speed and audio volume, where the former will be limited to just 80 mph while the audio system cannot pump out anything more than 44% of the maximum volume. Perfect to let the parent sitting on the passenger side in front to continue nagging the new driver beside without having the latest track from Linkin’ Park drowning out the one-sided conversation.

In addition, one can also program in speed alerts that chime at 45, 55 and 65 mph speeds. This reduced speed function works great since fuel economy can be improved as well, as research has shown that driving 55 mph instead of 65 mph consumes 15% less fuel, while being forced to mastering eco-driving habits such as avoiding jackrabbit starts and excessive idling will be able to further improve fuel economy by over 50%. The MyKey system also has an earlier low fuel warning at 75 miles to empty instead of the usual 50 miles, which will prevent parents from getting a call in the middle of the night to drive out and meet their kid in a stalled vehicle that’s run dry.

Source: Autoblog