Ford Looking To Patent Camera System That Reports Speeders

Ford wants to patent a system that would automatically report speeding cars to the police. If Ford gets the green light, the cameras on their future vehicles could become a big help for cops in catching speeders. But, of course, this news brings up a ton of questions about how well it would work, whether it’s fair, and what it means for privacy.

The Patent and Trademark Office published Ford's patent application on July 18, titled "Systems and Methods for Detecting Speeding Violations." According to the patent, the system would use sensors on Ford cars to spot other vehicles breaking the speed limit.

Ford claims that using cars to spy on speeders would make life easier for cops since they wouldn't have to chase down speeders themselves. And this tech could be installed in self-driving cars, so they could do the job too, Ford mentions.

If the system catches a car speeding, it would activate cameras to snap pictures and then send the images, GPS data, and more to the police. The police would then decide if they need to chase the car or take any action. But it's important to remember that this is just a patent application, and even if it's approved, Ford might not actually go through with it.

Also, Ford might be thinking about using this tech specifically for its own police vehicles. Some companies are already offering video monitoring with AI systems that ride along with officers or are installed in delivery trucks.

This whole idea brings up some big questions about safety, legality, and whether it’s the right thing to do. People have already found unauthorized GPS trackers in their cars. Hackers have gotten their hands on private info about car owners. And insurance companies have raised premiums on drivers based on behaviors captured without their knowledge. Speed cameras, HOV cameras, and red light cameras are already dishing out tickets too.

On Reddit, a thread about this patent has blown up with over 1,500 comments. One person joked, “Introducing the all-new 2025 Ford Snitchmobile.” Another person thinks that Ford just wants to patent the idea in case it becomes required, saying, “More like, patent it in case it gets mandated.” Someone else added, “Next it’s gonna be a car subscription that asks for a tip when I arrive at work.”

It’s also worth mentioning that unless a car is really old, it probably already has an event data recorder (EDR) or "black box." These black boxes are "standard" in many vehicles made by Ford, Chrysler, GM, Toyota, Nissan, and Honda.

A black box in a car is an EDR that depicts data such as speed, throttle position, brake usage, seatbelt usage, airbag deployment, and other relevant information. The data can be accessed by investigators, law enforcement, or insurance companies to gain insights into what led to a crash.