US automaker Ford is reportedly trying to patent a camera system that would allow its vehicles to forward reports of other speeding vehicles on the road to law enforcement and authorities.
The company submitted a patent application for the technology last year, but it was only recently publicly published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Patent Application
Ford’s patent application titled “Systems and Methods for Detecting Speeding Violations” outlines a process for their vehicles to monitor the speeds of other drivers on the road.
According to the documents, if a vehicle detects another vehicle driving above the posted speed limit, it would take a photograph of the offending vehicle with its onboard cameras.
Contacting Police
After the onboard cameras capture an image of the speeding vehicle, the Ford automobile would then transmit the image along with captured speed data directly to a police car or roadside monitoring unit using an internet connection.
Reportedly, this information will also contain GPS data to help police locate the speeding vehicle.
Helping Cops
In the patent application, Ford detailed how the technology could make jobs easier for traffic police.
“Traffic police typically face various types of challenges when dealing with speeding violations. Among these challenges is a need to quickly and accurately identify a speeding vehicle and take responsive action. It is desirable to provide systems and methods that assist traffic police and/or other law enforcement officers perform such tasks,” said the application.
Stopping Pursuits
Another benefit extolled by Ford in the document is that it could cut down on the need for police officers to engage in pursuits since all the relevant data needed for a speeder to get a ticket would already be captured by the system.
However, the legality of punishing a speeding violation without an officer present is somewhat dubious because there wouldn’t be a way to verify who was driving the vehicle.
Self-Driving Cars
Ford suggests that this technology could also be utilized onboard a self-driving car, essentially turning them into mobile speed enforcement cameras.
“Furthermore, the description provided herein is applicable to various vehicles incorporating various kinds of driving automation such as, for example, the six levels of driving automation that is defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) as ranging from Level 0 (fully manual) to Level 5 (fully autonomous),” said the application.
Not a Guarantee
Although Ford has filed a patent for this technology, it doesn’t mean that the company will ultimately bring the idea all the way to implementation.
According to WXIN, Ford regularly files applications for many patents that don’t always make it to the production lines.
Ford and Police
While Ford offers many vehicle options for civilians, some of its products are made and designed with cops and police duty in mind, which some online feel was where it would probably be implemented.
“Let’s be realistic, nobody would pay extra money for that to be on their new ford car/truck. Where it will be implemented is on the Ford police cars because they have no problem spending money on the latest gadgets,” said a Reddit user.
Snitching to the Cops
Other commenters were confused as to why Ford thought this could be a selling point for their vehicles, feeling like it was very disconnected from what customers want.
“Just what everyone wants, a car to narc to cops. I don’t care if it narcs on others, how long until your car gets vandalized just because its a random cop snitch? Ford is stupid as f*** for thinking this is a good idea or selling point,” said a Reddit user.
Volunteer Sheriffs
One user brought up a comparison to volunteer sheriffs, insisting that this technology will enable people to live out their cop fantasies at the expense of others on the road.
“I’ve always called those people who do exactly the speed limit, usually in the fast lane on the freeway, volunteer sheriffs. Now they really will be,” said a Reddit user.
Dystopian Nightmare
Some were outraged at the implication of the technology, considering it a violation of privacy.
“We are living in a dystopian nightmare. It should be illegal for car manufacturers to be able to do this. Major violation of privacy” said an X user.
Previous Patents
This latest patent revealed to the public is not the first time Ford has generated controversy over its ideas. Last year, headlines broke over a Ford patent that suggested self-driving cars would have the ability to repossess themselves by giving control of customer vehicles to financial institutions.
“We don’t have any plans to deploy this,” said Wes Sherwood, a Ford spokesperson at the time. “We submit patents on new inventions as a normal course of business but they aren’t necessarily an indication of new business or product plans.”
