http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/biztech/10/06/ford.teen.drivers.ap/index.html
A select group of Ford’s 2010 model cars will come with some new features! However, these features have somewhat of a “big-brother” feel to them. A chip inside the key to these new models will allow parents to control how fast the car can go (max speed being 80 mph), how loud the radio can be played, and the car will beep every minute until the driver puts on his/her seatbelt. Personally, I have mixed feelings on this. One side of me thinks that this may help reduce the number of crashes and deaths resulting from car accidents. On the other hand, I think that this may be somewhat ridiculous. Setting a max speed seems dangerous to me. You never know when you may need to speed up in order to avoid a crash or some other sort of danger. Also, I think that as a parent you should feel that your child is mature and smart enough to know to wear their seatbelt and to keep the music at a reasonable level. If you don’t have this confidence in your child, maybe they shouldn’t be driving anyways? It should be interesting to see what type of statistics and feedback comes back about how these features and if they are more of a nuisance or a major help to keeping our roadways safe!
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1 comment:
I think you're right about the need to sometimes speed up to avoid an accident. Of course one shouldn't speed, but if going past the speed limit for a minute helps you swerve out of the way of an approaching car, it would be worth it. And yeah, if a parent doesn't trust a child to make good driving decisions, then that child may not be ready to drive.
It's kind of creepy how lots of the new technology available can be used to control and monitor people, even in this case it comes from the right place---parents wanting to protect their children.
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