Ford patent would protect drivers from accidentally becoming drug dealers

Car technology seems to be getting better every year. Hands-free driving technology To Entertainment in the car, we are spoiled. While not everyone can use the technology available to them, much of it will be helpful when you need it. Ford's latest patent may help with something you'll probably never have to deal with, except as an AI-generated hypothetical situation in your uncle's Facebook feed.

First discovered by Engine1ford patented a new cargo detection technology in late 2023 that is designed to prevent drivers from becoming “blind drug haulers,” a term that describes a person who unknowingly smuggles drugs into another country.

A new Ford patent, filed in March 2023 and published on September 19, describes an “unknown cargo detection and evidence collection system” designed to prevent vehicle owners from becoming “blind mules” for drug traffickers. Blind mules are people caught crossing the border with drugs they don't know they have, and it's a common scheme for drug traffickers looking to get contraband into the United States without risking their freedom.

The system would use a combination of sensors and cameras to monitor and check things like the weight of the vehicle or people standing suspiciously close. If anything unusual is detected, the system would record the data and the vehicle's surroundings as possible evidence.

Is such technology really necessary? That is difficult to say. A report by inewsource speaks of several cases in which innocent people were blindly used for drug trafficking, but there are no concrete figures. The government seems to assume that most people caught smuggling knew what they were getting into, because a recent ruling by the Supreme Court shows. With fentanyl trafficking Increase of almost 1000 percent since 2017Ford's patent could prove useful if the automaker decides to incorporate it into vehicles in the future.

A version of this article originally appeared on Jalopnik.