Innovations let parents control kids’ driving

Imagine being able to control how fast your car goes without being behind the steering wheel or holding a gun to the head of the person driving.

Ford Motor Co. is introducing new technology later this year that will allow you to control vehicle speeds without you even being in the car.

Ford is marketing MyKey as a way for worried parents to control, via a computer chip, the driving habits of their teenagers as well as other functions.

The MyKey system is just one of many new automobile technologies that are becoming available in this crazy futuristic world. Others that have piqued my curiosity include solar panels on car roofs and driver alertness monitors.

"MyKey can help promote safer driving, particularly among teens, by encouraging seat belt use, limiting speed and reducing distractions," said Susan Cischke, a vice president with Ford.

With MyKey, parents will use an interface in the car to set certain default driving modes that are programmed to a key. When another driver, specifically a teenager, uses that key, the defaults are set.

The defaults are safety orientated.

For instance, one default would be to have the annoying belt reminder alarm continuously go off. Also, the vehicle's audio system would stay mute until the safety belt is buckled.

Other controls include limiting the vehicle's top speed, restricting the top audio volume to 44 percent of total volume, providing an early low-fuel level warning, as well as setting speed alarms to sound at 45, 55 and 65 mph.

The system may allow some parents to get some shut-eye while the kids motor to the movie theater on Friday night.

The MyKey will be a standard feature in the 2010 Ford Focus and the Escape hybrid, among other vehicles. Eventually it will be an option on all Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles.

Another new technology I see growing in popularity is solar roof panels, a way to help boost electric power in some hybrid models.

The idea is to have solar energy power car functions such as climate control systems. Or, power could be stored in a battery.

The 2010 Toyota Prius will feature this technology. According to the driver advocacy group AAA, the solar roof will power a fan in the Prius that circulates fresh air through the car's interior when it is parked.

"This keeps the passenger compartment cooler and reduces the load on the electrically powered air-conditioning system the next time the car is driven," a AAA report stated.

The technology that one day could be standard on all vehicles is driver alertness monitors.

Mercedes Benz is introducing a system called Attention Assist on some 2010 models. The idea is to help stop drivers from falling asleep at the wheel.

"Attention Assist monitors the driver's steering and throttle inputs. When they vary too far from normal patterns a loud voice announces, 'Attention Assist! Brake!' to alert the sleepy driver," according to a AAA report.

While it's not an entirely new technology -- Volvo has been offering a comparable system since 2008 -- it could be as important in fighting sleep-induced crashes as those rumble strips on the side of the road.

Although I'm quite amazed by these advances in technology we're witnessing, I'm still waiting for cars that fly or run on dog poop.

If you have a question, tip or tirade, call the Road Warrior at 702-387-2904, or e-mail him at roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Please include your phone number.