Volvo targets speeding drivers with new smart key

Swedish car-maker Volvo has announced a new feature designed to prevent speed-related accidents caused by Volvo drivers themselves.

Volvo Care Key enables the vehicle owner to pre-set and lock in a top speed, a feature ideal for shared vehicles that may have younger or inexperienced drivers behind the wheel.

The new feature is available on all MY21-plated Volvo models, including the top-selling Volvo XC40 small SUV, with every vehicle sold equipped with two regular key fobs and one Care Key that’s able to limit the vehicle’s speed for whomever is using it.

Care Keys are differentiated by their beige-coloured housing, while setting (or changing) the set speed limit is done via the infotainment unit and requires the car’s ‘master key’ to do so.

Volvo Australia cites internal research by the car-maker that found 52 per cent of parents would like to be able to control the speed of their teenagers' car, while 47 per cent of parents worry about their teenager speeding.

“Speeding is the number one factor in car accident fatalities in Australia,” said Volvo Australia spokesman Greg Bosnich. 

“Parents want to be able to share their car with friends and family, but our research shows they worry about how to ensure they are safe on the road. Volvo Care Key is a good safety solution that gives them some extra peace of mind.”

The Swedish car-maker has long been a pioneer for vehicle safety, responsible for inventing the first three-point seat belt back in the 1950s.

In 2020, the manufacturer also announced it would set every new vehicle with a maximum speed limit of 180km/h, in a bid to prevent high-speed driving.

But this is not the first time vehicles have been fitted with clever speed-limiting technology.

Ford, for example, has previously included speed limit-setting technology as part of the functionality of its programmable MyKey on a range of models, such as the Ford Mustang, Fiesta ST, Focus ST and Mondeo.

In 2015, Ford in Europe also introduced a system called Intelligent Speed Limiter, which uses the vehicle’s speed sign recognition and speed limit feature to theoretically prevent the vehicle from ever exceeding the posted speed limit.

However, that system, which debuted on the Ford S-MAX people-mover, was never offered in Australia.