Teen freedom limited on new Ford Focus

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Communism also worked.... in theory.


I just don't understand. Are today's teens that stupid for the most part? Whats happening to parenting.
I'm 19, and my parents actually trust me. I can drive an unrestricted car with music as loud as I want. I can stay out all night and come home at 4am because they know I'm not making any stupid decisions.
 
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It's not a bad idea this.

Although, why 80mph? That's still quite a lot. I don't even drive at 80mph usually. AFAIK the highest speed limit in the country is 70mph, why not set up the system to limit the speed at 65? So teens will drive slightly slower, so what? Technically, nobody is supposed to drive over 70mph.
 
_HighVoltage_ said:
It's not a bad idea this.

Although, why 80mph? That's still quite a lot. I don't even drive at 80mph usually. AFAIK the highest speed limit in the country is 70mph, why not set up the system to limit the speed at 65? So teens will drive slightly slower, so what? Technically, nobody is supposed to drive over 70mph.
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The highest speed limit in Massachusetts is 65, but there are roads where at times you can be going 90, and still be the slowest on the road.
I think the article chose 80 as an example, and in reality Ford will allow parents to set the speed to anything they want.

I just realized my Audi had a feature that let me set a speed, and it would give me a chime when I would go 5mph over that speed. It was actually a nice feature for those long drives when you'd get bored and want to open up the taps (not that it did much in a 4000lb wagon with a 172hp V6). Or long weekends when there are triple the number of cops on the road. But warning chimes at 45, 55 and 65? That's just going to be a nuisance.
 
Doesn't sound like a bad plan, if it keeps teenage morons from ripping around like tools in their parents car, then mission accomplished.
 
Dr_Grip said:
I would never lend my kid a new car, myKey feature or not. I'd give my kid an old banger and a toolbox for his 18th birthday.
"Son/Daughter, here's your car. It might not run, but here's a manual and here are some tools. Have fun, if you need help, i'm here."
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I'd go with something closer to this. Give them something old and beat up with like a 1 lt engine that can't physically GO 80 mph.

CrazyRussian540 said:
I just don't understand. Are today's teens that stupid for the most part? Whats happening to parenting. .
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lol, Yes they are, or at least will be. There is no parents around, the TV is the babysitter. The kids down the street use the street as a playground.



My full thoughts on this, it depends on how long they have the limit on. I'd say it took me at least a year to be able to safely control the car at 80 mph. Kids here have crashed and died at a lot less. If that limit was on my car right now it wouldn't even bother me much until the stupid warning bongs went off because I rarely go over 80 and always wear my seatbelt anyway.

That being said, I was in a major accident when me car wasn't even moving. This isn't going to help much, you can have a dangerous accident at 30mph. They SHOULD just teach the kids but they stopped doing that properly years ago. On the upside, most people I know my age don't even have a license out of laziness. They'd rather be driven around by mom and dad and drive on the game system. We don't have to worry about as many teen drivers any more because they are too fucking lazy to drive.
 
katwalk said:
I'd go with something closer to this. Give them something old and beat up with like a 1 lt engine that can't physically GO 80 mph.
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My 1lt engined Polo back home can easily cruise at 80mph. It takes a while to get there, but it gets there.
The fastest I've been in it was 105mph and I was on the border of the red zone, any faster and my pistons would've popped out of the hood.
 
BlaRo said:
And give a computer nerd 15 minutes and he'll deactivate everything instantly.
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This is hardly a piece of software on a computer, there's no way a teenager is going to be able to get the ECU changed short of some very shady dealings.



I really don't see what the problem with this system is. Ford are offering it as an option to those that want to buy it.. you know like that capitalism stuff you Americans love so much?

No one has to buy the system, and if you're a teen stuck driving a car with the system then well that's just tough shit isn't it. It's your parents car.
 
My kid is going to have a manual Honda CRX. It'll cut the time spent bitching at me for gas money, he'll not be going more than 80 mph, and if he feels inadequate with all these "drive my dads 350Z to school" douchebags, he can get his own ass under the thing and rice it out himself. Hell, I'll even buy the parts but he'll have to do the work. Maybe that'll make him a little more wary about crashing it and putting his 200 hours of work all to waste.

On a related note, from about 12 on ill allow my kid to drink a beer every once in a while. Can for can, its healthier than soda and it'll hopefully keep him out of detox during his first weekend out in college.
 
wooflepoof said:
My kid is going to have a manual Honda CRX. It'll cut the time spent bitching at me for gas money, he'll not be going more than 80 mph, and if he feels inadequate with all these "drive my dads 350Z to school" douchebags, he can get his own ass under the thing and rice it out himself. Hell, I'll even buy the parts but he'll have to do the work. Maybe that'll make him a little more wary about crashing it and putting his 200 hours of work all to waste.

On a related note, from about 12 on ill allow my kid to drink a beer every once in a while. Can for can, its healthier than soda and it'll hopefully keep him out of detox during his first weekend out in college.
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There is a lot in your post that makes absolute sense. Before I bought my Volvo, I drove the VW, which is actually my dad's car, since he takes care of it. I never did anything on the VW, and I didn't care about it. Now with the Volvo it's different - I have to pay for everything, I have to fix everything...It has changed me as a person!

The drinking bit - good idea. I've been drinking beer since I was 12 (with my dad of course), although there have been quite a few occasions in my high school years when I have been drunk out of my mind, it has generally helped me know my limits and never abuse with alcohol.
 
KaJuN said:
...Why not spend that time teaching useful tools like skid recovery or emergency braking. You know, things that might actually save a life or two.
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I took Skid School right after Driver's Ed, and it was a great idea. I was astounded by how easily you can pull 360s in a front wheel drive car on a wet road at low speeds. Makes me think twice whenever I see a big puddle, and taught me how to keep control of the car without skidding in an emergency maneuver.

It was damn fun, too.
 
_HighVoltage_ said:
It's not a bad idea this.

Although, why 80mph? That's still quite a lot. I don't even drive at 80mph usually. AFAIK the highest speed limit in the country is 70mph, why not set up the system to limit the speed at 65? So teens will drive slightly slower, so what? Technically, nobody is supposed to drive over 70mph.
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The fastest limit in the US is the 85mph limit in Texas.
 
Spectre said:
The fastest limit in the US is the 85mph limit in Texas.
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You're mostly right.

Theoretically, Texas has limits of 85 on roads that have not been built yet. Arizona law also allows limits up to 85, but none are posted that high yet. Otherwise the current maximum in Texas is 80 on a few roads within 10 counties in the corner of the state, as with 34 miles of roads in Utah. So Texas carries the title of fastest roads with Utah.
 
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Spectre said:
The fastest limit in the US is the 85mph limit in Texas.
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You sure about that? We have a few unlimited sections of road in California. In Tahoe, on the southern side I think, there is literally a mountain road that goes on for about 8 miles that says "no limit".
 
MadCat360 said:
You sure about that? We have a few unlimited sections of road in California. In Tahoe, on the southern side I think, there is literally a mountain road that goes on for about 8 miles that says "no limit".
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if it has no limits then it cant be considered as having the highest speed limit now can it?;)
 
As much as I hate the idea of such limitations, I can totally see that it's somewhat practical. I know a number of people who are the same age as me who regularly speed (80ks in a 50k zone), drive drunk, or have their music on on an uncomfortably loud level. Its just that the (fairly) responsible young drivers will have to suffer the consequences as well...
 
Part of me thinks this is a good idea, teenagers need a bit of structure in their lives. A warning bong at certain speeds may just be enough to get them to look down at the speedo and slow down a bit. Provided it can be turned off, if your teenager is responsible, I approve of it.
 
Dr_Grip said:
I would never lend my kid a new car, myKey feature or not. I'd give my kid an old banger and a toolbox for his 18th birthday.
"Son/Daughter, here's your car. It might not run, but here's a manual and here are some tools. Have fun, if you need help, i'm here."
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This is what I'd do. Maybe not a complete bomb, but not a brand new car either.

I think if teenagers were allowed behind the wheel more often with their parents from a younger age, then they will gain more experience on the road and know what to do in different situations. The parent's driving habits often pass down to the kids as well, so they need to set a good role model and tell kids what they should and shouldn't do and why.

I hate this new school of parenting. Most of the kids I see around these days are completely overspoilt by their parents and aren't exposed to the "real world" by living inside a cocoon.
 
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