Keyless Ignitions Could Become Mandatory, Or Banned, Depending On NHTSAs Whims
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the possibility of making keyless ignitions a mandatory item for cars, as a means of providing drivers with a way to shut off the engine quickly in case of emergencies.
NHTSA is also considering banning the devices altogether, and mandating the use of a physical key, since the public is already familiar with their workings – although it seems nonsensical in light of the all-or-nothing nature of their proposed regulation.
The Society of Automotive Engineers has already drawn up technical standards related to the keyless ignition systems, and these would be adopted by NHTSA should the push-start technology become mandatory. The main stipulation of the proposed rule would be a common method to shut off the engine, involving a multiple second push of the start button, or something similar.
[Source: Automotive News]
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How about instead of waiting 3-5 seconds holding the button for you and your family to already be dead, include a (push past) detent so that a driver under duress who mashes the button will be able to shut the car off immediately? Like the focus->shutter two-step button on an old-school digital camera, or on those wireless gantry crane pendants that offer two travel/winching speeds.