Ford Vehicle

Ford will offer parents all that spirit-breaking power by giving them the option to automatically turn on traction and stability control every time their teen drives. MyKey also can limit speed to 80 miles per hour and set a cap on radio volume at 44 percent of top level. If the driver or passengers aren’t buckled up, MyKey makes the intermittent seat belt reminder (”ding, ding, ding”) run continuously, while muting the stereo.

And it sets off warning bells when the car passes the 45, 55 and 65 m.p.h. marks, as well as when the gasoline level reaches 75 miles to empty. Studies commissioned by Ford suggest that parents are generally over the moon about being able to put their teens on four-wheeled lockdown “including 75 percent who like the speed-limiting feature, 72 percent who like the more insistent safety-belt reminder, and 63 percent who like the audio limit feature,” according to Ford’s news release.