WTH???
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???
I've liked all the Fords I've owned in the past ('71 Country Sedan wagon, '79 Pinto wagon, '91 Explorer). But the last one I owned was that Explorer with 250K+ miles on it, which I traded in for an '08 Hyundai Sonata. The 4.0L engine was still humming along, but everything was rusting out and I replaced the fuel pump 3 times. The Pinto had the most comfortable seats I've ever had in a car.
My buddy from high school only buys old cars from the mid-80s and before. I'm thinking that isn't a bad idea.
And that is why I will never buy another Ford made after 2023. There was a huge lawsuit aganist OnStar for dining out a driver of a hot rod Cadillac to his insurance company after his rates doubled and tripled. It’s a freaking hot rod for Christ sakes. Also, onstar has dimmed out newer corvettes that crashed their cars at the race track and insurance denied the claims. Big Brother is watching…. Act accordingly.