Ford Seeks Patent for Cars That Monitor Other Drivers’ Speeds, Reports Them to Police
The use of such technology by law enforcement could be challenged in court by alleged offenders, as police officers themselves would not be the ones witnessing the violations.
Updated on July 31, 2024 at 7:20 P.M. E.D.T.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has published a patent for Ford Motor Company that would allow the manufacturer to build cars that are capable of tracking other drivers’ speeds and send the information to local law enforcement.
The patent for the “speeding violation responder system” was posted on July 18 after Ford filed for the certification in 2023.
“Traffic police typically face various types of challenges when dealing with speeding violations,” reads a description of the publication. “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.”
The technology would be fairly straightforward: Ford vehicles equipped with cameras and speed monitoring systems could capture information from speeding cars nearby and immediately transmit that information to local police.
A nearby officer who was charged with enforcing traffic laws would then be able to quickly track down the offender.
The use of such technology by law enforcement could be challenged in court by alleged offenders, as police officers themselves would not be the ones witnessing the violations.
Ford says they are only planning to use this technology in law enforcement vehicles, and that while the patent would permit the deploying of the technology in civilian cars, it is not Ford’s intention to do so.
“Patent applications are intended to protect new ideas but aren’t necessarily an indication of new business or product plans,” the company tells the Sun in a statement.
Many localities have, in recent years, rolled out stationary traffic cameras at stoplights, intersections, and other roadways known for speeding violations in order to issue citations for speeding. That technology uses license plates to send tickets to the owner of the vehicle.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comment from Ford Motor Company.
