Ford Limits Teens to 80 MPH on 2010 Models,

Good idea or bad idea
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-ford-teen-drivers,0,892513.story
i personally think its an awesome idea.

i loled at this statement
Brittany Hawthorne, 17, another Southfield-Lathrup senior, said there may be emergency situations where she'd have to drive more than 80, possibly to accelerate to avoid a crash

Sounds reasonable to me. If mom and dad want juniour in a new car they paid for then hell yeah I want some control.

Good idea. Sorry. While under my house, it's my rules. I am all about keeping the kiddos safe.

i think it sounds like a good idea....

obviously Brittany has never experienced being near a now happening accident or been in one,
but has only seen what happens in the movies

I think its a good idea.....as long as I get a real key

Good point! LOL

bad idea. This is wasteful spending by the automakers. They even want to control the radio volume. What needs to happen is more strict enforcement of the speeding laws and higher fines to under age drivers.

Here my thoughts on everything. Kids in general these days are being dumbed down. Everyone is trying to look out for the kids and this is causing them the inability to think for themselves. At what point do we stop taking control and allow them to learn from their mistakes. I know that some of my best lessons learned, I learned the hard way. With cars granted, maybe there needs to be a little more enforcement, but at what age do you release them to go over 80 mph? when the graduate high school, College?? Most states have a Cinderella license, where they cannot be out driving past curfew. When does the controlling stop. Plus, once you do release them, what is the first thing they are going to do?? Are they any more mature now then when they first got there license??
Just my thoughts in general, think it is more bad than good.

I think kids are going to try and get these speed limiters removed anyway,
than there would probably be a law that you would have to have parental consent to have the limitor removed.

I think its too much regulation. You baught the car...you should be able to do with it as you please....with in the law of course and your parents law.

i seen to many young kids that have no experience wreck or kill them self in the military. I've been driving for over 12 years now, driven across the country and in foreign land and have had driver improvement courses and combat driving training. these young kids don't have the road time like us older people do. text messaging while driving, not paying attention to the road....... come on. I think its a good idea that they govern the cars for the kids.

03.sonicblue wrote:bad idea. This is wasteful spending by the automakers. They even want to control the radio volume. What needs to happen is more strict enforcement of the speeding laws and higher fines to under age drivers.

Jerry, I agree in part. They do not need higher fines, they need stiffer penalties like taking the license away like a 30 day suspension or something for younger drivers. The fines and higher insurance only hurt the parents because the vast majority of parents are the ones paying the insurance and the fine which means the kid gets off scott free and does not feel the bit of that speeding ticket. I think there should be a trial period on licenses. Lets say 2 years and you have a point system durring that two years. If you lose all your points you have to wait to get a real license or something at that point and durring that 2 year period your time is restricted like a curphew and possibly even your miles from home are restricted as well.. But I know from experience that fines and higher insurance do nothing for teen drivers.. They could give two shits..

But I dont think limiting them to 80 is going to do much.. Hell they can still do 80 and i dont know about anyone here but I bet if you get hit with a car doing 80 it hurts just as bad as one doing 100.. If anyone would like to be part of this clinical trial let me know.. I can probably borrow dads dodge truck to do some testing..

Wow great topic and great thoughts.

Here's my extended take. It don't think it's wasteful spending at all. It's an option I think many parents want. I'd like it. I also don't think it's not dumbing down the kids at all. You gotta remember that every time that someone hops in a car, they are piloting a 2 ton machine that, if not respected can kill. Period. God forbid something like that ever happens to any of you, but that a hard lesson I don't want to have happen. In fact traffic fatalities are the number one killer of teenagers. I personally have lost one child, I don't wanna loose another. Trust me it's a nightmare I hope none of you ever go through.

I compare this to watching/monitoring what they're doing on the internet or anything else. It's just responsible parenting... Something that IMO is lacking in today's society. Now most of you know that my son is a good kid, I've had it very easy. Very easy.... However, I don't coddle him, nor am I overprotective of him on purpose, but he will not have free reign to do as he chooses. (Not until he's at least 30yrs old… :biggrin: )

I believe in parenting and fostering positive actions along with responsibility. I look at this as a tool to help me do that.

Well if we do this, why dont we make every car sold equiped with a breathalizer, that way we can reduce the number of drunk drivers. Why dont you see something like that developed??

Because then there would be no traffic. ;)

This is an option. Not mandatory. You don't have to use it and you can (the parent) can put the regular key (no limits) back in whenever you want.

you know i got to thinking about this a bit more and maybe it's just my paranoid brain going into overdrive, but what if this were to happen and EVERY car were to go this way?
it doesn't seem too likely, but it could happen...

Alyssa wrote:you know i got to thinking about this a bit more and maybe it's just my paranoid brain going into overdrive, but what if this were to happen and EVERY car were to go this way?
it doesn't seem too likely, but it could happen...

Thats kind of my point with the whole thing. Everybody seems to be allowing someone else to make decisions for them.

I do see it as a tool, but as Paul said, there needs to be more parenting involved. Parents these days are even getting lazier and relying on someone else to do their job for them. Accidents happen, but then again thats why they are not called purposes. You dont leave the house in the morning looking to get into an accident, it just happens. It still needs to be enforced that driving is a privilage, not a right. If you dont respect it you don't get it.

On a side not, could they install a chip to speed up the old people so they dont cause an accident by driving too slow??

03.sonicblue wrote:On a side not, could they install a chip to speed up the old people so they dont cause an accident by driving too slow??

Now... I'm all over that!

Here is my opinion..

Those of you that have kids and that can really relate to this topic will understand more. Its not about taking away rights to kids, it is using technoligy to help in parenting. Its like using parental controls on your tv to block that R rated material. You can tell you kids all you want to not watch them but if there not restricted odds are they will try.

Think of it this way, if you owned your own business and you have a delivery service or techs out in the field that you needed to trust that they are doing there job, then you have a couple of options; You can just Trust that they do the right thing and bet your money on the fact that they are trust worthy or you can put GPS on them and make sure there doing the right thing. People tend to do the right thing if they know someone is watching or they know they cant do or get away with it. It keeps Honest people Honest, Just like this system. You can tell them not to speed(and they will anyway)or you can make sure they dont speed or at least keep them under a bone shattering speed. When my daughter is of age to drive i wish that i can be in the car with her giving her instructions like; buckle your seatbelt and turn the music down so you can here those emergency sirens behind you, or get off you cell phone so you dont have a wreck, or slow down. I wish that was possible and this is just one step towards that. It just keeps these kids safer.

MATURITY PLAYS A BIG ROLE.
Think about when you were 16 and 17 years old. If i remember correctly I did not have a care in the world. I did not think about killing someone when i was on Memorial doing 70mph racing. Or doing donuts anywhere i pleased. Or peging out my speedometer doing top speed at 10:00 at night going to coffyville,ks. I was at least going 140mph and the white dashed lines were solid. Drinking and driving were a comin thing and not once did i think about anyone elses saftey including my own and didn't even care. This is the problem with youth. THEY DO NOT THINK ABOUT CONCIQUECES because they are a minor. That is what you get with age. About when i was 19 is when i slowed down my speed and hesited going through intersection and looked both ways (TWICE) and did not race people because the situation was too dangerous. Remember, your son or daughter could be in a car with one of those kids that dont have a care in the world and even though your kid makes the right decision they are not driving. The unregulated teen that is trying to impress people is and he makes the wrong decision and now were all at a funeral buring your child because of someone elses mistake. And i know some of you are saying an accident is an accident but what do you think the city does when they put up a sign that says my daddy works here on the highway or a street sign that says yield. It is to reduce the chances of an accident and that is what this system will do, and what our responsibilty is to do.

In conclusion, My choice is to regulate the teenagers because they can not make the right choices to keep themselves out of trouble, jail, or the morge. Im not saying that there are not any good kids but an accident is an acciden but if you can reduce the percentage of the chance with all of them would be a good thing. They make bad choices and that is why they are still under parents control until they are 18. It is my job to keep them safe and if that means semi controling there speed and distractions in the car then your damn right I will because they are my responsibilty until they are 18. To many kids are dieing these days in car accidents and i dont want to be the guy that says, "NO, i refuse to regulate the cars because they should have there own life". That would be irresponsible and neglect.

I would probably say the opposite if i did not have kids. But seeing that little girl or boy and knowing that there YOUR responsibilty to make all the right decisions for them just changes everything.

05SatinGT wrote:

MATURITY PLAYS A BIG ROLE.
Think about when you were 16 and 17 years old. If i remember correctly I did not have a care in the world. I did not think about killing someone when i was on Memorial doing 70mph racing. Or doing donuts anywhere i pleased. Or peging out my speedometer doing top speed at 10:00 at night going to coffyville,ks. I was at least 140mph and the white dashed lines were solid. Drinking and driving were a comin thing and not once did i think about anyone elses saftey including my own and didnt even care. This is the problem with youth. THEY DO NOT THINK ABOUT CONCIQUECES because your a minor. That is what you get with age. About when i was 19 os when i slowed down my speed and hesited going through intersection and did not race people because the situation was too dangerous.

Hell ya! And remember that time in Vegas with the those 3 hookers, donkey and the midget!? Man, when you did that thing with your..... Ummmm..... nevermind.

I mean good write up.

I agree.... but I also agree that children should play in raw sewage to build up their immune system.... to many kids have weak a$$ immune systems as well as attitudes these days because they sit inside next to their personal air purifier watching a animated mexican girl teach a monkey with red boots spanish while your child drinks a gogurt because the thought of having to actually scoop their own food with a piece of rounded metal is ridiculous....

...And that bring up an important point kids. Don't do drugs!

Don't do Jarrod either. Ewwwwwwww.......

ewwwww

Sorry it was so long. emotional subject for me. On another note. It was 3 midgets and 1 hooker paul and it was not las vegas it was a card game at your house.

I remember that game........I won a used Jerbear that night!

You this is all assumeing we are dumb enough to hand the keys to a brand new car to a teenager.. I dont think so chuck.. My kids are getting older cars that dont cost too damn much to replace or repair and that the insurance is lower on. I got an older shitter when I turned 16 and I smashed it within 6 months.. I expect the same from my kids.. lol.. If I spent a shit load on a new car, then paid the full coverage insurance on a teen driver for that new car I would be friggen broke..

Oh and by this logic why not just put GPS on all cars and ever time the kid goes out we sit down when they go home and review the log of how fast they went on what roads and why they stopped off at the liquer store? It would be much easier and the technology is pretty much built into most new cars anyway.. Plus I remember having a lot of fun at the midnight drags when I was 16.. I dont wanna take that away from the kids.. If they want to drive fast and are going to do it somewhere legaly lettem.. You have to trust them some time and again.. 79mph kills just as much as 90mph... Its not going to stop the accidents.. Most people have an accident within 1 mile of their home and most accidents occur at below 50mph.. Just the facts.. I dont belive that limiting the car to 80 is going to help anything..

You f-ing Germans are all alike. Go spend some Euros on a cheap Fräulein Hure. You Auf Peter Paffer!

I did not say it was a cure but it is closer to where we want to be. Yes GPS is great and thinking about it in the future. I had GPS system on some cars at work and it would email me when they went over a certain speed for more then one minute. and you could look at bread crumbs to see where they started the day and when and where they ended.

I know its like big brother but some times you have to be the nosey parent to keep them safe.