Ford cars could soon automatically report speeders

In a patent, the American car manufacturer describes a technology that can be used in modern cars. It should be able to detect other speeding drivers on the road while driving, take pictures and forward them.

Cars become mobile speed cameras

Anyone caught driving too fast must pay and, depending on the severity of the offence, receive one or more points in Flensburg. Drivers are usually caught by stationary radar systems. But how Motor Authority reported, the American vehicle manufacturer Ford has filed a patent describing a technology that could make the police’s job easier. The application, which was filed in January 2023, was published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) at the end of July. It describes how a system installed in the car measures the speed of other vehicles passing by.

If other road users exceed the speed limit, the system can use the car’s built-in cameras to take photos of the traffic offender as evidence. The data collected in this way can also be sent and shared via radio.

Not in private cars

Contrary to what has been falsely reported by many media outlets, the system is not intended for installation in private vehicles. It is intended to be used primarily in police cars, said a Ford spokesman.

The patent explicitly states that this idea is specifically designed for use in law enforcement vehicles […] and that it is a system that would automate a capability that law enforcement agencies already use today, with the difference that the built-in system and sensors would be used in the vehicle. Ford

Nevertheless, such a system would certainly catch significantly more drivers exceeding the speed limit than is currently the case with traditional speed cameras. However, private drivers would not be used to ‘snitch’ on other road users.

Other patents from Ford

This is not the first time that Ford has filed a patent that initially caused a stir. The Detroit-based company had already tried to patent a type of night driving mode. This would automatically limit the maximum speed of a vehicle in the dark. So far, however, both ideas are only patents. Ford may be less concerned with actually installing the corresponding technology in its vehicles than with collecting licensing fees from other companies for their use in the future.