Ford rolls out smart keys with speed limits

Ford is hoping trust issues between parents and young drivers will help sell cars with a range of new models arriving in Australia that allow owners to set maximum speed limits as low as 100km/h.

The technology is set to be rolled out in Ford's Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo and Mustang lines, but the final Australian-built Falcon and Territory miss out due to outdated electrical infrastructure.

Ford's MyKey system lets drivers set a maximum speed limit for one specific key, as well as limiting the stereo's volume, keeping traction and stability control on and preventing the audio system from working if front occupants do not fasten their seatbelt.

It even increases the car's low fuel warning, giving forgetful – or cheap – drivers ample opportunity to top-up the tank before returning the car.

The technology has been available on just one model, the Fiesta ST hot hatch, but company spokesman Wes Sherwood says it will soon be available on around a dozen models with improved safety functions.

"With the Fiesta ST currently there are two speed limits you can set, 140km/h or 160km/h. Part of the feedback we've been getting has been for smaller or lower limits," Sherwood says.

"There are now four settings for the speed limit, from 100km/h to 130km/h."

Research commissioned by Ford found that around 40 per cent of parents were primarily concerned their children would speed behind the wheel, while young drivers said they were more likely to drive while distracted.

Some new cars, including the Ford Fiesta, allow drivers to use many phone functions through hands-free systems that use voice recognition or steering wheel-mounted buttons to keep drivers entertained and informed without the need for fiddly buttons.

But such systems also have the potential to distract drivers, and some states including NSW completely ban learner or provisional drivers from using any mobile phone features while on the road.

Sherwood says Ford's MyKey technology could also go beyond young drivers and into corporate environments, limiting speeds to little more than the maximum permitted limit.

"It goes beyond a mainstream, teen, young driver audience," he says.

"It's certainly a technology we see for wide application, even for fleet use."

Ford does not currently offer speed-limited keys in commercial-friendly models such as the Falcon and Ranger utes, though it hopes to make the technology widely available in coming years.

For now it is only available in the Fiesta, but the 2015 Mondeo, Mustang and Focus models will also have MyKey standard.

The company says maximum speeds "should not be set to a limit that will prevent the driver from maintaining a safe speed considering posted speed limits and prevailing conditions", and that drivers are always responsible for their own behaviour.

Some Ford models including the current-generation Focus are also now compatible with new apps that improve a car's usability. A voice-activated app developed by motoring clubs including the NRMA and RACV allows drivers to easily find locations and prices for fuel and parking, along with logging journeys as personal, business or learner driver trips and sending a car's location to roadside assistance services should something go wrong.