Future Ford may detect speeding and call the police

Ford is trying to patent a car that will report speeding drivers to the police.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published a patent application titled “Systems and Methods for Detecting Speeding Violations” on July 18, 2024.

In the application, Ford discusses the use of vehicles monitoring each other's speed. If one vehicle detects that a nearby vehicle is traveling above the speed limit, that vehicle can use its on-board camera to photograph that vehicle. According to Ford, reports containing both speed data and images of the subject vehicle can be sent directly to police cars or roadside monitoring units via an Internet connection.

Using the vehicle for speed monitoring would make officers' jobs easier, Ford noted in its application, since they would no longer have to quickly identify and track speeders. The automaker adds that part of the job could also be delegated to self-driving vehicles equipped with the ability to detect speeding violations.

It is unclear what legal argument Ford would make if it attempted to implement this technology, since human police officers would not witness suspected speeding reported through a connected car. Speed cameras already provide fixed-point enforcement of speed limits, but since they cannot confirm who is driving, they can only issue tickets based on the vehicle's license plate.

Ford is also trying to patent a “night drive mode” that would limit vehicle speed at night for everyone, including emergency personnel. This takes things a bit further by making drivers unwitting snitches. Ford regularly files patents for new automotive technologies, not all of which make it into production.