Locomotion: Your ignition key
For more than nine months now, General Motors of America has been in the news for three very different reasons.
Their rapid recovery from the 2007 bankruptcy to full profitability after receiving the federal government bailout in 2009 (and paying it off fully within a short time) has been touted as one of the reasons why it is believed that America can work again.
Towards the end of last year, GM announced the elevation of Mary Barra from within its ranks to the hallowed position of CEO, succeeding Dan Akerson and making her the first female boss of a large vehicle manufacturer.
The third reason for which GM has been in the spotlight is of a completely different nature – the safety recall of as much as 2.2 million cars due to a defect in the ignition device that can cause the engine to shut off mid-journey, compromising the driver’s ability to brake and steer the vehicle safely.
The media has followed GM’s leaders closely as they testified in congressional hearings, with the story emerging of the systematic failure of various divisions in the company to talk to each other, manufacturing shortcuts to save costs and a corporate reluctance to own up and fix it before it became too late.
Another angle has however began to emerge that sort of vindicates GM’s position that the 13 or so deaths that have been pinpointed as directly related to the ignition switch failures may have been caused by other factors as well.
Of the 13, nine of the deceased drivers were under the heavy influence of drugs or alcohol, and six of them were not wearing seatbelts at the time of these accidents, which were of course triggered by their ignition switches failing while they were driving.
In the midst of the recall, and while dealers are still busy replacing the faulty ignition switches, GM has advised drivers of the affected vehicles to avoid hanging heavy objects on their keys, especially when they are in the ignition with the engine running.
Too many drivers have been observed to put undue pressure of unnecessary weight on their ignition keys while driving. In the aftermath of this GM recall, I have begun paying attention to the key ring habits of any driver I come across.
For more than half of the drivers I have observed, they keep their vehicle ignition key on a bunch of keys, together with their home keys, office keys, store keys, drawer keys, post office keys, padlock keys and the like, not to mention miniature teddy bears, key holders, coin purses and all manner of memorabilia.
Even if your car doesn’t come from the GM stable (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac and Saturn), I strongly suggest that your ignition key should live / hang on its own.
You can bunch up all your other keys together on one key ring, but your vehicle ignition key should be kept separate from all the others.
There are a variety of reasons why you should keep your ignition key separate from everything else.
• To guard against misplacement and/or total loss with the others.
• Risk of scratches and damage from repeated contact and friction with other keys and objects (coins, phones, etc).
• Risk of electrical short-circuit, especially for the more modern integrated key fobs which are powered by lithium-ion batteries.
• To lower the likelihood of getting locked out of your home or office should a secondary driver (your spouse, friend or mechanic) drive off the vehicle with your entire key “collection.”
The modern ignition key fob integrates multiple functions on that tiny device beyond the regular ignition function – locking/unlocking the doors, controlling the alarm system, access to the boot and the sunroof, memorised seat settings for different drivers, folding the side mirrors when parked and operating the power windows upon approach as well as departure.
For vehicles with keyless entry and ignition, the key may also incorporate an infrared transmitter that sends signals to the onboard computer all the way from your pocket or handbag, enabling you to open the doors and press a button to start the engine without having the key in your hands.
Your ignition key is therefore a very delicate part of your car and very expensive to replace if lost or damaged. Take very good care of it, and you can begin by granting it independence from the rest of your key “collection.”
Your vehicle may not be GM-made, but that’s no reason to have 12 keys and a miniature doggie swinging from your ignition as you drive around town.
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