Ford MyKey anti-hoon system to nanny European drivers

Your days of Ferris Buellering your parents' car may be numbered, especially if the old folks are rolling in a Ford. That's because old man Ford has vowed to bring its virtua-nanny MyKey system, which is already available in America, to Europe starting in 2012.

MyKey is a parental control technology that allows Ford car owners to impose restrictions on how the vehicle is driven in their absence.

Owners can limit the car's top speed to a maximum of 80mph, place restrictions on the maximum volume of its stereo system (to reduce the chances of being distracted by some sort of "rap" music, no doubt) and prevent the driver deactivating the car's electronic stability control system.

MyKey's ultra-nanny features don't end there. The system will prevent seat belt reminders from being disabled and actually mute the stereo until occupants in the front seat have their belts fastened.

It'll also prevent various active safety systems, such as lane departure warning, blind spot information system, forward alert and active city stop from being deactivated. If Junior somehow does manage to crash, MyKey will even call the emergency services via a tethered Bluetooth phone with co-ordinates of the location of the accident.

As impressive as MyKey appears, we're not sure it's sophisticated enough to prevent the truly idiotic from getting into trouble. It doesn't prevent reckless acceleration or take into account local speed limits, so it's perfectly possible to have yourself a drag race, practice your handbrake turns in a Sainsbury's car park, hammer around at 80mph in a 30mph zone, or get up to whatever brand of automotive hoonage kids are into these days.