A new GM patent is designed to warn you about worsening road conditions before you encounter them
America’s road infrastructure leaves much to be desired, with countless miles plagued by potholes, cracks, and other surface defects. Predicting where and when these issues will appear has always been a challenge — but General Motors is working on a solution.
The automaker recently submitted a patent application (US 2025/0200526 A1) for a system intended to warn drivers about deteriorating road conditions before they encounter them. This technology would utilize a combination of vehicle-mounted sensors, cameras, GPS, and telematics to detect issues such as potholes, cracks, and pooling water.
The collected data would then be uploaded to the cloud, where it would help generate a Road Maintenance Score reflecting the condition of specific roads. Should the system determine that a road’s condition is poor enough, GM could theoretically notify local authorities and recommend alternative routes to drivers through the vehicle’s navigation system.
Although not explicitly stated in the patent, it’s reasonable to expect that this technology would integrate seamlessly with GM’s Super Cruise hands-free driving system, which already covers more than 750,000 miles of mapped roads across the United States and Canada.
Earlier this year, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) assigned America’s infrastructure a “C” grade — a modest improvement attributed to recent federal investments, including the $1-trillion infrastructure deal passed in 2021. While this progress is encouraging, the ASCE acknowledges that there’s still significant work to be done to bring the nation’s infrastructure up to higher standards.
This road-condition technology is just one example of GM’s broader efforts to develop innovative systems aimed at enhancing the driving experience. Other patents the company has filed include a system designed to monitor driver well-being and reduce incidents of road rage by deploying various countermeasures, as well as an augmented reality windshield that could automatically reduce headlight glare from oncoming traffic.
It’s worth noting that these patents have yet to be approved or implemented, but they offer a glimpse into GM’s vision for the future of safer, smarter, and more comfortable driving.
