Ford's MyKey technology allows parents to block radio content

(December 29, 2010) DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford is preparing to debut a new version of its breakthrough MyKey technology that — for the first time — will allow parents to block explicit satellite radio content in the vehicle, much like parents are able to prevent children from viewing certain types of television and Internet content.

The new feature will debut next year as standard equipment on the Ford Taurus and Ford Explorer, and will eventually be available across a variety of Ford and Lincoln vehicles. MyKey— designed to help parents encourage safe teen driving habits — is an easily programmable key that can limit a vehicle’s top speed, limit radio volume and encourage safety-belt usage by muting the radio until front occupants buckle up.

The radio-blocking feature works by screening out more than a dozen channels labeled by Sirius Satellite Radio as “explicit.” While similar technology is used for blocking inappropriate content on televisions and computers, never before has such an option been available for radio programming in vehicles.

Ford’s current MyKey system — standard on most North American vehicles after launching in summer 2009 — allows owners to program a key that can limit the vehicle’s top speed to 80 mph, with chimes sounding at 45, 55 and 65 mph. The upgraded MyKey technology will now allow parents to limit a vehicle’s top speed at any of four different settings — 65, 70, 75 or 80 mph.

“Ford wants to give parents peace of mind that their kids are following practical household rules in the car,” says Graydon Reitz, director, Ford Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering. “Parents obviously like this type of feature, and many teens are okay with it when they hear parents may give them the keys more often if the car comes with a technology such as Ford’s MyKey.”

In a poll conducted for Ford by Penn, Schoen & Berland, nearly 60 percent of parents of teen drivers said the new MyKey feature that allows for blocking explicit radio content is an important technology. The survey also indicated that 85 percent of parents with teen drivers find the speed-limiting feature important.

The additional top-speed limits available in the next generation of MyKey will help parents set appropriate limits as their teens transition from driving in town to traveling on the highway. Additional features already available on MyKey limit audio volume, encourage safety-belt usage by muting the radio until front occupants buckle up, and provide earlier low-fuel warnings.

In the poll, more than half of parents also said they would allow their teens to use the family vehicle more often if it were equipped with MyKey. Meanwhile, 45 percent of teens surveyed would approve of MyKey restrictions if it meant the possibility of additional driving privileges.

Tuning into teen safetyAccording to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, teens are more likely to take risks such as speeding – a contributing factor in 30 percent of all fatal crashes. Teens also are less likely to wear safety belts than older drivers.

“Like graduated licensing laws, MyKey helps parents set reasonable limits for teens as they’re building driving skills,” Reitz said. “We developed MyKey’s functions in such a way as to quickly spread it across multiple vehicle lines, giving us the ability to go mass market in the spirit of other Ford innovations such as SYNC.”