We've had parental controls for computers and the Internet for years. Now Ford plans to offer such controls for the parents of teenage drivers. The auto maker announced that, starting with their 2010 models, parents will have the option of limiting how fast a car can go, how loud the audio system can be cranked up and so on.

The system can also be programmed to sound a continuous alarm if the driver isn't' wearing a seat belt. The system is called MyKey. Parents will also have the option of programming a chime if the car goes above a certain speed, say 45, 55 or 65 miles per hour. And teenage drivers won't be able to exceed 80 miles per hour, which still gives the teen some headway in case they need to accelerate above the speed limit possibly to avoid an accident.

As far as I can determine the announcement doesn't include technology to limit where the car can be driven or tell the parents where the teen has been. There are third party car tracking systems that can monitor a car has been and how fast it has been driven.

Ford says that about 50 percent of those who would consider purchasing MyKey would "allow their children to use the family vehicle more often if it were equipped with the new technology." More than half of parents surveyed by Ford and Harris Interactive "worry that their teen-age children are driving at unsafe speeds, talking on hand-held cell phones or texting while driving, or otherwise driving distracted. More than a third of parents also are concerned that their teens do not always buckle their safety belts when driving."