A recent Ford patent, titled “Systems and Methods for Detecting Speeding Violations,” shows the company is looking into a way to automatically flag speeding violations.
According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)The dossier looks at ways Ford can use its vehicles and on-board camera and sensor technology to first detect a speeding driver and then report it to authorities.
A series of basic drawings and flowcharts show how Ford’s technology can detect when another driver is speeding. It then activates the camera and captures footage. The information is then sent to nearby “pursuit vehicles” or stored on a server.
The patent states that the offending vehicle’s speed, GPS location data and clear images or videos can be recorded and sent to the relevant authorities, who may then decide to initiate a pursuit.
However, Ford does not make it clear in the patent application whether this potential future technology is only intended for specially adapted police cars, or whether it could also be applied to passenger cars or even self-driving taxis.
In fact, Ford might not pursue the technology at all. And even if it did, it might abandon it by the time it reaches production.
That’s probably a good thing, since the brand suggests that Ford owners essentially become a bunch of snitchers for the local police.
Big Brother is watching you
Today’s modern motorist is increasingly being monitored for speeding and other traffic violations, thanks to the rise of camera technology, sensor performance and even artificial intelligence.
Nowadays it is almost impossible to run a red light, speed through roadworks, drive into a bus lane or accidentally block a pedestrian crossing without being caught and fined.
In addition, the latest traffic cameras with artificial intelligence can now detect when drivers are using a mobile phone behind the wheel, not wearing their seat belt or performing some other ‘distracting’ task.
It’s highly unlikely that Ford’s recent patent will ever see the light of day, but it doesn’t help the general feeling that surveillance of all kinds is getting out of hand.
Motorists are already shocked by the amount of driving data exchanged between car manufacturers and insurance brokers, or by the way Software Defined Vehicles track their every move.
In Europe, it is now mandatory for all new cars sold to be equipped with Intelligent Speed Assist. These functions either automatically ensure that the car brakes to the permitted maximum speed, or force the driver to drive slower with increasingly annoying sounds and haptics.
Soon every new car will be so annoying that there will be no need for tell-tale cars on the streets anymore.
