Nice geofencing program you got there, Ford!
Speed kills, or so we're told repeatedly by people who don't want to talk about driver distraction much anymore. That attitude seems to be embodied in Ford's new forced speed compliance experiment being run in Germany. Called the Geofencing Speed Limit Control system, it is yet again a company pushing the idea of a utopian society brought about through the use of authoritarian technology.
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Just imagine a city where no speed limit signs are present because each car is forced to not exceed the limit. Sounds pretty great, right? That's the ultimate vision of this Blue Oval experiment being run in Cologne, Germany.
In the official press release, Ford draws a direct parallel between speeding and the death of pedestrians and cyclists in Europe. That seems to make sense since drivers have more time to react if someone steps out in front of their vehicle.
This forced speed limit adherence is also supposed to improve traffic flow in cities. Relying on the old argument that speed causes accidents, Ford reasons that by limiting how fast drivers can make their car go, crashes will become far less frequent.
What's really exciting about this automotive innovation is learning how the tech works. Ford excitedly explains how each car connects to a geofencing system in the city. That means the government can track where you are while also extracting data from your vehicle. Just think of the possibilities as you're forced to do what's right. For starters, you'll never have to show your papers to authorities again since they can just access such things from your car while it's being moved in a very controlled manner. To have a government that cares so much about your safety to control exactly how you get around to the most minute detail is truly a blessing.
Even more exciting, Ford's talking about the possibility of dynamic speed limits. That means how fast you're allowed to go changes depending on “local hazards, temporary road works and the time of day.” We sure haven't seen governments abuse emergencies and such at all, so this should work out super great.
However, the best argument for the institution of these types of authoritarian technologies is that drivers are too overwhelmed by road signs. Ford points out just how many different signs are used in Germany, not to mention other countries. Expecting people to read and pay attention to all those while they're texting back their girlfriend and tapping the touchscreen 15 times just to change the cabin air temperature just isn't realistic. Thankfully, technology is here to rescue us from ourselves being distracted by technology, thus making for a brighter, utopian-like society. Be sure to thank Ford for promoting such responsible programs as geofence forced speed limit controls.
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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
Ford could be planning their own demise in the US. I’m already figuring how that might work and how to defeat it. Don’t they know they already have such a thing and it’s called public transportation. I don’t know who they are going to sell cars to if everyone is taking the bus. Either way, sounds good for socialist Germany though. Must be genetic, authoritarian socialism just keeps growing back after they cut it off.
In the 1950’s, the government forced us to buy insurance on our autos. In past resent history, they made us buy health insurance, I say, if we have to drive auto’s that are governed down, then they should drop the insurance law. By the way, both of these are against our Constitution.
Dona, when I worked for a Corportation, we were the first to have seatbelt’s installed in our company trucks, we also had governor’s installed on our large trucks, it was like 48- or 55- mph, Ford Motor Company can govern the speed thru electronics, and to change it can’t be done now. But why would they do this, because they can, it will hurt their bottom line, Over the road trucks are governed now!
I think I read somewhere that you can get killed at 12 or 13 mph.
While driving I have had to quickly go over the speed limit to get out of the way off someone not speeding but driving erratic. Another example of being monitored in our lives as the government knows every move we make in our vehicle.
Same here, sometimes I accelerate around people because I want to get away from them due to their poor driving abilities. Speeding is not always the cause of accidents as Ford like to think.
I guess you never thought that speeding on wet ,icy,foggy roads never caused an accident? Why do we need a car with 800 Hp or one that can do 150mph but some of you want gun mags. limited to under 10 rounds? See how stupid all this sounds.
Just once I had to speed to get my step father to the nearest hospital while he was having a heart attack. I actually prayed for a police officer to stop me so he could us. My step father made it to the hospital, which was 20 minutes away at high speed, 5 minutes before he had to be placed on life support. He survived the heart attack, If I had I been forced to drive the speed limits, he would have died in my car,
Dear Ford, piss off, I’ve never had a Ford, won’t ever for sure now.
Adjusting maximum speed limits, assumes dynamic speed signs. For example, a maximum speed limit of 60 would be inappropriate on a good road with no cars, whereas the same road might have a lower speed limit, if it is 3 AM and raining.
If Ford has limits to speed and other car makers or older models do not, there is danger in driving too slow.
Without an appropriate change to posted speed limits, Ford can expect zero sales.
So, if this technology comes to the US, I can imagine some poor 80 year old white guy with a MAGA hat trying to outrun a mob of BLM and ANTIFA thugs in a 25mph zone in Seattle.
Speed is simply speed….it is neither good nor bad. If you are driving a properly prepared vehicle and have the proper training / experience and temperament for the driving environment, you are quite safe or at least as safe as can reasonably be expected. Often, speed can help you avoid accidents or potentially dangerous situations.
If you are driving impaired or distracted in a vehicle that has not been properly maintained, your are likely unsafe at ANY speed (no matter how slow it may be).
Except Ford. is not a well made car. They’re awful cars, they’re the reason why I no longer buy American made cars. They should concentrate on making their cars reliable to drive instead of deflecting into something like this.
what if it’s an emergency and you need to speed?
Maybe they’ll have an emergency mode? Then what…they report you for using “emergency mode” too often?
Those Ford speed-control devices sound like a lot of opportunities to commit public-interest vandalism. A large firecracker should be big enough for a delicate electronic device. Then there are cans of spray paint to cover the sensors. If they put them out of reach, use wasp spray, maybe light it up if you’re brave enough. It’s good for 17 feet. That won’t be helpful at all.
Yet another reason not to buy Ford.
Many people will keep their older cars (like a 2022!). Then you will have those people FORCED to go the speed limit while others are jockeying to pass you. Yeah, I can see a good outcome there.
Just wondering about the times when you have to speed up to avoid danger. How’s that going to work? If you are going the max speed and there is no time to hit the brakes hard enough to stop in time, the logical thing to do is speed up to avoid whatever it is you need to avoid. For example, I live in an area where whitetail deer are very plentiful. Often, I can see them at dusk coming out of a cornfield into the road ditch. Usually, there is time to slow down to allow them to cross the highway. But there have been many times in my life where I actually sped up to get ahead of the spot they were going to cross the roadway because I didn’t have time to stop, given how fast they were moving toward the road. Had I tried to stop, I would have hit them.
Looks like Fords gonna lose a lot of business to me.
No more Fords for me, and that is all I have owned for 30+ years.