Volvo Care Key lets you limit the speed of your car
Volvo's Care Key tech lets owners set a speed limit for their vehicle and anyone who borrows it.
Volvo has announced a system which will let any Volvo owner impose a speed limit on to their car. Called Care Key, it allows buyers lending their car to family members and friends to encourage more responsible driving by presetting a maximum speed.
The move is designed to reduce the risk when handing the keys to relatives who may be less familiar with the car, or to drivers who are younger and less experienced behind the wheel.
• Volvo to limit cars to 112mph
It comes as part of Volvo’s three-pronged assault on reducing road accidents and fatalities - which also aims to prevent speeding or driving while intoxicated - as the Swedish brand aims to eradicate road deaths in its cars by 2020.
The introduction of such technology, according to Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelson, is about initiating discussion among manufacturers about how much responsibility they have to install technology which encourages more responsible driving behaviour.
“We believe that a car maker has a responsibility to help improve traffic safety,” says Samuelsson. “Many owners want to be able to share their car with friends and family, but are unsure about how to make sure they are safe on the road. The Care Key provides one good solution and extra peace of mind.”
The benefits could extend beyond safety for owners, too. Volvo is in talks with car insurance companies in several markets, to offer reduced rates to models equipped with such technology. As Mr Samuelsson points out: “if we can encourage and support better behaviour with technology that helps drivers to stay out of trouble, that should logically also have a positive impact on insurance premiums.”
Volvo's Care Key is similar in principle to Ford’s ‘My Key’ system: a speed-limiting function which has been available on its cars since 2013 in the UK.
The launch of the tech follows on from Volvo's announcement that all of its cars will have a 112mph speed limiter buy 2021.
What do you think of imposing a speed limit on your car? Let us know in the comments below...
