The New-Age Technologies That Should Always Be with Your Child

A parent’s job involves continued attempts at ensuring their children are safe and happy at every stage of their life. Whether it is strapping on a helmet and knee pads when they are learning to cycle, opening their first bank account as teenagers or attending their graduation as young adults, you take pride as you watch them move further in life.

This feeling eventually arises when they are on the cusp of mastering their driving abilities. You are proud and overjoyed that there’s another feather in their hat, but it also brings a little apprehension.

Since you may not always be with them when they are driving, it is crucial that the car has the latest in technology to make driving easy and safe. And as automobile technologies have significantly advanced, here are some features you should look for.

Convenience Features to Reduce Distraction

Driving requires alertness and constant attention. Your child will need to keep their eyes on the road, traffic, pedestrians and make quick decisions. This is especially necessary for the first few months of them learning to drive. The last thing you would want them to do is to operate the different controls and switches while trying to concentrate on the road. This is where convenience features come in handy and keep distractions at bay.

Auto-Dimming Rearview Mirror

Driving at night is already fraught with worry, thanks to unpredictable roads and lighting conditions. Besides, the glare of high beams from vehicles coming up from behind can hamper the visibility of the road. Thankfully, all Ford cars, including hatchback Ford Figo, reduce this worry with a feature called auto-dimming rearview mirror. Such mirrors automatically darken in response to bright headlight, thereby helping reduce glare, ensuring optimum visibility while making driving safer & comfortable.

Automatic Headlamps

Another excellent convenience feature to have in your car is automatic headlamps, like the kind available in the Ford Freestyle. These headlamps sense the change in daylight and turn on automatically, eliminating the need for your child to fidget with switches while navigating dark and unfamiliar roads.

Rain sensing wiper

Driving through the rain is never easy, especially for a newbie. Even seasoned drivers will agree that it can be troublesome to find the right wiper setting while driving. Well, the Ford Aspire’s rain-sensing wipers make this easy. Not only do the wipers turn on automatically, but they moderate their speed depending on the intensity of the rain. So, whether it is a drizzle or downpour, your child will be able to see the road ahead clearly.

Parking Assistance

Learning to park (especially parallel park) is something that takes time to master. But of course, considering today’s technology, there is a solution for that as well. All Ford cars offer some form of parking assistance such as parking sensors to alert the drivers when something is in close proximity with the rear bumpers and parking cameras with guides to steer your car in the right spot. Another advanced aid, offered with the Ford Endeavour, is the
semi-auto parallel park assist feature. By taking charge of the steering movements and assessing size in a parking space, it makes parallel parking an absolute breeze. All your child will have to do is follow the instructions to accelerate and brake. This way, your child can easily parallel park quickly and comfortably.

A Smart Infotainment System

One of the most common instructions that every parent gives their child when handing them the car keys is to keep their phone away while driving. But it may be a little difficult to follow this rule if your child needs to look at their phone for directions or reject incoming calls. Fortunately, cars like the Ford Endeavour make it easier to handle these distractions. The SYNC3 system, also offered on EcoSport S, allows drivers to perform a number of actions, such as make or reject calls, listen to music, compose or hear text messages, through simple voice commands. The SYNC 3 system is also Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible, allowing drivers to mirror their phone, use navigation and a host of other functions, without taking their eyes off the road.

Seamless Connectivity

While your child may have mastered the skill of driving your car, owning and maintaining it can be a whole different ballgame. This is a good time to help them understand the responsibility that comes with owning a car. They must know when to service it, change the oil, rotate the tyres and figure out extensive repairs. Keeping a tab on all of these can be a task, but not with FordPass. With this connectivity solution, your child can complete various functions like start or stop, lock or unlock, check vehicle health check and even locate the car with just a few clicks. What’s more? They will always have access to the service and maintenance history and get reminders for scheduled service; all on their smartphone.

Ford MyKey

When driving with your child, you may have to constantly warn them about the speed they are going at, ensure they wear their seat belt and follow other safe driving norms. But what happens when you are not around them to ensure they follow these rules? Well, the Ford MyKey technology, offered on Ford EcoSport and Ford Endeavour, can help keep a check on your child in your absence. Wondering how? MyKey lets you set a limit on the stereo volume, set speed limits, block incoming calls and text messages, and even set seat belt reminders, all of which help to reduce distractions and increase safety when your child takes the car out.

Technology That Aids Safety

Emergencies are unpredictable and can arise at any time. And as much as you always want to be there for your kids and protect them, you sometimes cannot. Ford cars are built tough and are the only ones in their segments to offer up to six airbags, they offer a whole lot more as well. Ford promises to give your child the best possible assistance in case of any roadside mishap, that includes a technology-led safety intervention called Emergency Assistance.

This potentially lifesaving technology, offered on Ford EcoSport S and Ford Endeavour, automatically calls emergency services in the event of an accident where airbags are deployed. The automatic call shares the car’s location details to emergency response providers and the line is kept open so that the driver can offer more information if required. An intervention at the right time can be critical to save life and emergency assistance does just that.

As a new driver, your child may be as careful and responsible as you would expect. But there is always the possibility that an unexpected situation might arise while on the road. New-age tech features offer that added protection and peace of mind, so you can be sure that your child enjoys a safe and smooth driving experience.