Press release
DEARBORN, Mich.,- Ford Motor Company's (NYSE:F) MyKey(TM) teen-safety driving technology topped the American Automobile Association's (AAA) top technology picks for new vehicles and earned the 2009 Traffic Safety Achievement Award from a panel of judges at the New York International Auto Show's World Traffic Safety Symposium.
MyKey, which soon will become standard equipment on the 2010 Ford Focus and many other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models, allows owners to program a key that can limit the vehicle's top speed and audio volume. The new technology also can completely mute the audio system if front occupants are not belted. The feature is designed to help parents encourage their teen-agers to drive safer and more fuel efficiently, and increase safety belt usage.
MyKey "may hold potential to increase the safety of teen drivers," wrote W. E. Van Tassel, Ph.D., with AAA National Driver Training Programs, in a recent article for The Chronicle of ADTSEA.
"The 2009 World Traffic Safety Symposium is tackling the issue of safer teen driving," said Mark Schienberg, president of the New York International Auto Show. "As Ford's new MyKey safety technology will help encourage teens to drive safer and use their seat belts, we're proud to present Ford with this award."
The same group previously honored Ford's Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) program - which teaches teens advanced driving skills - with the 2007 Traffic Safety Achievement Award for Community Service. Two years earlier, the Symposium honored Ford for its exclusive VIRTTEX driving simulator, which has been used almost exclusively for safety research, including an extensive teen study earlier this decade.
The judges represented the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Automobile Association of America Foundation for Traffic Safety, National Road Safety Foundation and New York Police Department Traffic Safety Division.
photo:Ford
DEARBORN, Mich.,- Ford Motor Company's (NYSE:F) MyKey(TM) teen-safety driving technology topped the American Automobile Association's (AAA) top technology picks for new vehicles and earned the 2009 Traffic Safety Achievement Award from a panel of judges at the New York International Auto Show's World Traffic Safety Symposium.
MyKey, which soon will become standard equipment on the 2010 Ford Focus and many other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models, allows owners to program a key that can limit the vehicle's top speed and audio volume. The new technology also can completely mute the audio system if front occupants are not belted. The feature is designed to help parents encourage their teen-agers to drive safer and more fuel efficiently, and increase safety belt usage.
MyKey "may hold potential to increase the safety of teen drivers," wrote W. E. Van Tassel, Ph.D., with AAA National Driver Training Programs, in a recent article for The Chronicle of ADTSEA.
"The 2009 World Traffic Safety Symposium is tackling the issue of safer teen driving," said Mark Schienberg, president of the New York International Auto Show. "As Ford's new MyKey safety technology will help encourage teens to drive safer and use their seat belts, we're proud to present Ford with this award."
The same group previously honored Ford's Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) program - which teaches teens advanced driving skills - with the 2007 Traffic Safety Achievement Award for Community Service. Two years earlier, the Symposium honored Ford for its exclusive VIRTTEX driving simulator, which has been used almost exclusively for safety research, including an extensive teen study earlier this decade.
The judges represented the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Automobile Association of America Foundation for Traffic Safety, National Road Safety Foundation and New York Police Department Traffic Safety Division.
photo:Ford