Ford Offers Parental Speed Control

It is easy for parents to locate an automobile through GPS technology. Now, the 2010 Ford Focus will offer parents the technology to limit the top speed of the vehicle:

“…Parents will be able to limit their children’s top speed, the volume on the car stereo – but not the bass level – and even regulate the chirping of the seat-belt monitor with a new device that Ford Motor Co. plans to make standard equipment on all of its vehicles after it debut on the Focus next year. The compact car will come with a new device called MyKey, which allows parents to program a top speed for the car – 129 kilometres an hour – and also keep the music a little less loud by limiting the sound system to 44 per cent of its total volume.”

link: Ford helps parents control teen’s driving

The safety concerns are obvious. However, there is an underlying zeitgeist that is disturbing. The value of one’s good word seems antiquated. Technology offers the alternative to track, monitor and limit. The automobile industry is answering a need. The car manufacturers would not offer these features unless they had been tested thoroughly with focus groups. In the future, technology will enhance tracking and surveillance - and it will be in the name of security. The growing trend is that security always trumps privacy.

Catherine Forsythe