Ford is trying to patent a way for its cars to report speeding drivers to the police.
A patent application from the automaker titled “Systems and Methods for Detecting Speeding Violations” was published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Jul. 18 2024, and was originally filed by Ford Jan. 12, 2023.
Full article and diagrams, HERE from Motor Authority.
As Steve reported, “In the application, Ford discusses using cars to monitor each other’s speeds. If one car detects that a nearby vehicle is being driven above the posted limit, it could use onboard cameras to photograph that vehicle. A report containing both speed data and images of the targeted vehicle could then be sent directly to a police car or roadside monitoring units via an Internet connection, according to Ford. Using vehicles for speed surveillance would make cops’ jobs easier, as they wouldn’t have to quickly identify speeding violations and take off in pursuit, Ford notes in the application. It also means some of that work could be delegated to self-driving cars, which could be equipped to detect speeding violations, the automaker adds…
Ford has also tried to patent a “night drive mode” that would limit vehicle speeds at night for everyone — including first responders.”
We discussed this on the livestream yesterday, and one of the many ‘issues’ noted were the requirement for LEOs to actually observe the infraction. There were others…
That segued into a discussion over police use of license plate readers (originally ‘sold’ for finding stolen vehicles/BOLO vehicles) to what is out there today with the ALPS (Automated License Plate Scan) system, which allows a single database to be used for an entire area! Among other things, this could lead to ‘geofencing’ of individuals based on their daily driving habits, etc. With ‘modern’ (e.g. 2019-2020 or later) vehicles upload their GPS tracking to the vehicle’s manufacturer, they could also use that approach (an oddity of that system, if the vehicle is out of range of cell towers for ‘some’ amount of time, it will shut down the vehicle’s computer to disable the vehicle).
Per Steve, some loggers in Oregon discovered that when their ‘new’ Ford truck stopped working, was towed, & started working again, once it was within cell tower range so it could “phone home”.
Soooo, when Ford implements this crap, any bets on who the Michigan State Police will go to for vehicles? Toyota? Honda? Or???
The “cracking” of system will be EPIC.
And “amusing” until the deaths….DoA “Had you gotten granny here a couple minutes sooner…”
Haven’t watched yesterday’s Blanket Fort yet. Will do so once 24 hours has elapsed and the chat replay on the side is available.
Here’s what I have regarding today’s post though:
Patent application number is 20240239352
Patent filing at patents.justia.com:
https://is.gd/clKeXh
Also, don’t forget that in 2026, all new vehicles produced are mandated to have “advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology”.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684/text
See: SEC. 24220.
(b) definitions
Also note SEC. 24106.
Here they replace instances of “alcohol-impaired” with simply “impaired” giving them a LOT of latitude to determine that a driver is “at fault” legally.
And I suspect these warn/response systems we’ll see in vehicles to detect and alert to “impairment” will:
a) Log all instances of alerts
b) Report back to the manufacturer that data
c) That data will be shared by the manufacturer with law enforcement, regulators, and insurance companies
All in the name of “safety”.
I also expect that attempting to respond to any warning the vehicle gives you about impairment will in itself be a distraction that could result in an incident by taking the driver’s attention away from the road and other vehicles.
This is insane! Cars spying on cars will only allow those that advocate for less police to get their way. No need for traffic watch or speed traps every person on the road will spy on each other. Sounds like a scene out of “1984!”
The commies and the nazis had the courtesy to ask for papers when traveling to different areas. Our government builds the permits into the car.
It’s an elegant answer to whether I should buy a new vehicle or repair the old one.
Until you need a permit to buy car parts. With the majority of parts sellers using computer/point of sale they would need to enter your permit number to complete the sale.
Shhhhhh….
Just out of curiosity, OldNFO, you guys are up around Odessa/Midland, right? I ask only because I’ll be in the San Antonio/Fort Hood area for a week or so, flying down on Saturday evening. If you’re in the latter area, would love to buy you a cup of coffee
See, this is the kind of thing that fires up my daydream of a barn find Chevy 1970-ish C-series pickup. Still have my old textbook from junior college–
https://www.amazon.com/engines-electrical-systems-Frederick-Blanchard/dp/0910992258/ref=sr_1_1?Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=0&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jFmxGOF5OlV03qgmWIb2tUiZXoWwT–g2nTY6I_ECofAYk7aXaJTMaG0Io0dBqEZ_u-aczXlE0Nw-gjYrXIUjQX1dKET1cxOXg3CdU-mKXAnDGKJxvxUKiTJQxHr_tZ6jb8X3mAgn1H5Ikz80QjAP9m267NXtSCJSi1XQTJGAMbHdoLUA4Nf6XHbRlRR3ply1NfysZULF0Xc79K1Rv8DEckKNUKkB1bYvcn1xpFFFEo.Adb8OzOa6UKSrsmbuAqIZN0iRKrhbB-XIX5uFj59Hdo&dib_tag=se&qid=1722435896&refinements=p_28%3Aauto+engines+and+electrical&s=books&sr=1-1&unfiltered=1
Shoot, I’ve driven down country highways in Missouri and lost all cell service for a while. Are the country folk going to have to start putting up signs? “If your car was built after 20xx, proceed no further”
I’ve been saying for a while that GPS directions need an ‘avoid the ghetto’ feature. Are they going to need an ‘avoid the dead zone’ feature now?
New cars are waaaayyyy too expensive as they are , Ya know I won’t buy one , the car manufacturers are going in the wrong direction. If they made a “plain jane”, rubber floor mat, bench seat. crank window, am/fm, ac and heater truck with 4×4 and a decent engine minus the backup cam lane sensors bluetooth etc , and put at a price range of under 22k they would sell like hotcakes. They wouldn’t be able to keep up with demand . I’ll keep my paid for old ones , and happily drop 7k for a crate motor and keep on drivin . Default rates on new vehicle loans right now are quite high . Toyota is coming out with a “stout” or “scout” something like that in the next couple of years , they’re gonna sell like crazy. See a nice old car or truck ? , BUY IT, . Too bad we can’t get the Toyota HiLux here . Ugly old Buick LeSabres with the 3800 seem to run forever , lots of rural mail carriers in my neck of the woods drive the piss out of them , Merc Grand Marqis/ Crown Vics , same . People getting bogged down with 40-70k pickup financing is stupid.
But got off track a bit , no and no , definitely no nanny state tattle tale vehicles . BS !!!
The Ford Tempo was a wonderful car for people who just wanted transportation. Back in the day I would sell four or more a month. Then Ford replaced it with the Contour. A decent European clone that was $25 a month more than a Tempo and loathed by the service department. Cramped back seat, small trunk and some kind of hideous plastic shroud over the brake pedal arm that limited foot space and ease of using the gas pedal. Ford likely made more profit on the Tempo but wasn’t sexy. For sure, the Contour never achieved Tempo sales numbers.
The company “suits” like to mentally masturbate with Focus Groups. What people want, and what they will put their name to monthly payments, are not the same.
Look at the success of the Maverick pickup. That team should be running Ford.
If this Patent is valid and put into Ford vehicles then Ford will die as a car company. Nobody will want their vehicle to be used to “report” on other vehicles, except the police.
I want to agree with you. But there is the endless stream of evidence that a heck of a lot of Americans live the idea of a surveillance state. Anything to advance control over the people is a good thing.
And… all those features and more are commonly found in electric vehicles. Tracking, the ability to remotely control aspects of the car, shut-down features and such.
As all the ‘features’ found in EVs get grafted into regular vehicles, expect more and more of this.
‘Modern’ cars’ computers are already being used for criminal cases to charge people with various crimes or prove where people are. Insurance companies are also using the cars’ systems to prove fault when settling claims. What Ford (and others, because you know if Ford is doing it others are too) is doing is just one small step forward.
‘Law Enforcement’ has been angling for remote shut-offs or other remote disabling features for a long time. As we have moved further into national socialism, the features that can be used against us have just gotten more powerful and creepier.
As to who would buy any of this, seriously, we’re only allowed to buy what the government of California allows.
Let the hacking commence.
I’m looking at my ’17 f-150 with more respect now.
The problem I see with Ford (and others) putting this photo logging on all vehicles is analogous to what happened with the Amazon ring cameras. Once enough people installed ring cameras in their neighborhood, you were continuously videoed and could not escape the panopticon, recording to Amazon’s cloud.
Similarly, once a critical mass of photo vehicles uploading data is achieved, photos of your driving will be continuously recorded in a database or databases. Having an older car won’t prevent it because it’s other vehicles doing the upload. What happens to your personal info from that point is out of your control, but one example.
I’ve read that people have had their insurance rates jacked up, because the insurance company analyzing the data from their car’s computer, didn’t approve of how the owner was driving. Insurance companies purchasing the uploaded data will allow them to expand this program.
I’m sure people can come up with other scenarios.
Hope those loggers returned their vehicle for a refund.
I saw that. Huh.
Well it just gets better and better.
Aww,Hell! I still hate the frikken hall monitors from school. I Sure can find a deep hatred for this.
How many Ford dealership will have “mysterious” fires that destroy all their inventory?
Or… a drone fly over, spraying ALL the new model with paint-destroying brake fluid? Possibly in a message pattern…