Driving Dystopia: Ford Patents Automated Speed Violation Detection System for Vehicles

Ford Motor Co. has filed a patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a system that would effectively convert modern police vehicles into mobile surveillance platforms designed to autonomously track and tattle on speeders. However, the tech doesn't look as though it would have to be limited to the vehicles driven by law enforcement.

As described in the patent application, which looks to have been snagged first by Motor Authority, the system utilizes on-board sensing equipment (e.g. radar and exterior cameras) to identify other vehicles that have exceeded a set speed-limit threshold.

This is something patrol officers already do with radar and laser systems. However, Ford’s patent looks to automate the process somewhat. All vehicles surrounding the cruiser are examined and any caught speeding will have an image snapped of the vehicle for use as evidence. From there, it’s up to the officer to pull the vehicle over or have the department mail out tickets (should local laws allow for that).

With an image in hand, officers can even share the photo with each other in case they want to launch a pursuit of a vehicle they’ve lost sight of. For example, someone flying by a parked cruiser extremely high speeds probably won’t be caught by the officer that spotted them initially. But other officers can try to catch up with the offending vehicle later, using the photo as evidence.

The patent application from the automaker titled "Systems and Methods for Detecting Speeding Violations" was originally filed in January of 2023. But the USPTO didn’t publish the document until July of 2024.

While the patent looks like the makings of a surveillance-state nightmare, Ford could simply have issued the patent filing in the hopes of blocking anyone else from implementing similar technologies — something that’s not unheard of within the automotive industry.

Tesla faced staunch criticism from the Chinese government that its vehicles would use their exterior cameras to relay information back to the United States about the nation’s infrastructure and they were subsequently banned from entering military bases. General Motors’ Cruise and Alphabet’s Waymo have received similar backlash in San Francisco after residents learned that the local police were using the vehicles as mobile surveillance platforms.

“Autonomous vehicles are recording their surroundings continuously and have the potential to help with investigative leads,” read a San Francisco Police Department training document from 2022. “Information will be sent in how to access this potential evidence (Investigations has already done this several times).”

That’s some rough grammar. But you get the gist.

Ford produces the most police vehicles of any U.S. manufacturer and delivering a service that would basically limit their usage — theoretically reducing departments’ need to buy more — might not be in the brand’s best interests. However, Ford has also been pivoting more of its business into data-driven revenue ( including in regard police vehicles) and the above would certainly falls under that category.

The company has issued statements suggesting that the system is intended to be used exclusively on law enforcement vehicles and that patents are typically designed to protect ideas, suggesting that it might not necessarily be coming to market. It likewise made assurances that there is no aspect of the patent that would share customer driving data with law enforcement.

But a business’ stated intention often doesn’t have any bearing on the final outcome and we’ve already seen the lines getting blurry on what automakers are doing with private user data. As a driving enthusiast who typically has at least one sporting vehicle on hand, the current example being from Ford, your author has no desire seeing any of the above implemented. However, others will undoubtedly feel differently.

[Images: Ford Motor Company; USPTO]

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