Is "MyKey" a Young Driver's Best Friend?

In a September 1, 2009 article in USA Today, Ford is introducing something I think is pretty “cool”. It is a new technology called “MyKey”. An engineer at Ford wondered how he could use technology to help get a teenage driver through that first year of driving. After the teenage driver in his family rolled a family car twice, the father decided that maybe there was something that could be done.

What does the key do? From the article, it becomes a obnoxious little brother. If the driver and passengers are not buckled up, the car chimes at them until they do. It also does not allow the radio to be used until they are buckled up. The key can set the volume of the radio or it can set the maximum speed the car can be driven. The key can also program the car to chime at specific speeds such as 55 or 65 mph.

Being the Central Region Coordinator for Missouri’s Coalition for Roadway Safety, I see the weekly fatality numbers for Central Missouri. As of this week, 12 more people have died than last year at this time. The article causes me to ask: Can technology save more teenager drivers and passengers?

I believe that the answer is yes and no. I realize this is a goofy answer! I believe technology can help, but there are limits. It is certainly difficult to be a parent and watch your teenager drive out of the driveway without your all-imposing presence and experience to guide them. A reminder that their best defense while driving is a simple click of a seat belt is wonderful. Their schedules can make them so busy it is easy to forget the simple things. Their lives have so many distractions that reducing the “volume” to help their focus can only help their driving as well.

I certainly like how the key helps control speed. Between the years 2005-08, high school drivers in Central Missouri were involved in a crash with a fatality or disabling injury. The statistics show that in 147 of these cases, speed contributed towards the crash. Teenagers are already full of energy and motion. They do not need to translate that into a driving habit.

Technology does have its limits. I don’t believe there is a substitute for experience. The first year is the most critical time for a teenage driver. The number of crashes they experience decreases significantly after the first year of driving. More seasoned drivers recognize situations quicker and undertake the correct actions. Teenagers have to experience these situations as they come. So, I don’t believe that gadgets can replace time behind the wheel. But, I do believe it has a place.

In Missouri, teenage drivers represent 9% of the licensed drivers, but they were involved in 23% of the crashes resulting in a fatality and disabling injury in 2008.


This blog was submitted by Matt Myers, Central Region Coordinator for the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety.