Remember those old square-head General Motors ignition keys? If you didn't own one yourself, you probably have a friend who did: a GM car that you could operate without that distinctive key.
They key would come out of the lock cylinder and you could key on the ignition without it. Well, the problem has returned in almost 1,000 GMC vans. (Funny, I drove an '89 Chevy Astro you could do that with.) It's a neat trick — especially on cars a bunch of people drive. You never have to worry about where the keys are!
But the coolness of not needing the key is eclipsed by the federal government's safety requirement that the key can't be removed when a car is running and/or in park. Plus, y'know, such a condition makes it easier for thieves to make off with your car; or van full of carpet cleaning equipment. That would be terrible.
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