Photo: Ford
Back in 2010, American manufacturer Ford introduced the MyKey security system on pretty much all the vehicles in its lineup. Eight years later, nearly hafl of Ford owners don’t know their cars come with such a feature.
MyKey is a technology that allows Ford owners to set various driver profiles. It is an especially useful tool when it comes to telling the car what it is andit is not allowed to do when driven by teenagers, for instance. A type of parental control, if you like.
Essentially, if one wanted one could restrict vehicle modes in such a manner as to promote good driving. When handing one of the keys over to the kids of legal driving age, that key could be preprogrammed to tell restrict some of the vehicle's attributes.
In essence, dads sending their sons to prom in the family car could set the vehicle speed limit, set the maximum volume for the audio system, or enable the 911 Assist or Emergency Assist.
According to a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) on 1,500 adults who own or lease a Ford vehicle equipped with MyKey, 39 percent of them had no idea their car has such a feature, while 4 percent were unsure.
Of the remaining 57 percent who knew about it, only 61 percent admitted having used it. The majority of the rest responded that they don’t plan on using the technology as their kids are trustworthy.
IIHS, citing previous research, blames the high percentage of unaware customers on the salespeople at Ford dealerships who have limited knowledge about MyKey, and neglect tellling customers about it.
"Systems like MyKey have the potential to reduce the risks faced by teen drivers by limiting speeds and distractions," says Rebecca Weast, an IIHS research scientist.
"To do the most good, more consumers need to be aware of it and to choose to activate it for their young driver."
Essentially, if one wanted one could restrict vehicle modes in such a manner as to promote good driving. When handing one of the keys over to the kids of legal driving age, that key could be preprogrammed to tell restrict some of the vehicle's attributes.
In essence, dads sending their sons to prom in the family car could set the vehicle speed limit, set the maximum volume for the audio system, or enable the 911 Assist or Emergency Assist.
According to a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) on 1,500 adults who own or lease a Ford vehicle equipped with MyKey, 39 percent of them had no idea their car has such a feature, while 4 percent were unsure.
Of the remaining 57 percent who knew about it, only 61 percent admitted having used it. The majority of the rest responded that they don’t plan on using the technology as their kids are trustworthy.
IIHS, citing previous research, blames the high percentage of unaware customers on the salespeople at Ford dealerships who have limited knowledge about MyKey, and neglect tellling customers about it.
"Systems like MyKey have the potential to reduce the risks faced by teen drivers by limiting speeds and distractions," says Rebecca Weast, an IIHS research scientist.
"To do the most good, more consumers need to be aware of it and to choose to activate it for their young driver."
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