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A bill that would require all automakers to install global positioning systems in their vehicles, starting in 2014, has unanimously passed a vote in the Ohio House of Representatives, and it looks as though several other states including Maryland and Virginia are looking to follow suit.



The House voted 97-0 in favor of House Bill 634, which would bring Ohio law to the forefront of a movement that seems to be very popular among House representatives nationwide, with the exception of both Texas and Alabama.



According to the sponsor of the controversial bill, Helen Bealon, D-Woodbury, the government is interested in finding new ways to increase public safety, while also helping to address some of the issues that have arisen with the downturn in the economy. Bealon spoke with CNN in early February shortly after the bill was introduced.



“This bill will help police to track down stolen vehicles and missing persons, while also helping the police monitor traffic violations, especially speeding,” Bealon said. “Safety is our number one priority, and exceeding the speed limit is one of our most dangerous problems. This should help to control that temptation a little bit.”



This is just the latest step in a movement to increase driver safety by cities and states across the U.S., which began with the installation of red-light cameras. Statistics have shown that red-light cameras have made a significant impact in reducing the number of accidents at major intersections where they have been installed.



The bill has not yet been assigned to a Senate committee, according to a Senate spokeswoman.

Bealon introduced the bill primarily to make it easier for police officers to track down traffic violators and, according to Bealon, help “make our highways and streets safer.”



Alan Mulally, president and CEO of the Ford Motor Company, is in support of the bill and thinks that more states should adopt the same legislation.



“This is a good thing for the state of Ohio, and it should save a lot of lives in the long run,” Mulally said. “It will be an extra cost in the manufacturing stages for us, but it should save money for us in the future. Fewer accidents will decrease the need for manufacturing spare parts for our vehicles.”



The bill does not currently include any verbiage regarding exactly how much a driver must be exceeding the posted speed limit in order for the state government to issue a speeding citation, but it will work much in the same way the red-light camera system works. As a driver exceeds the allowable limit, a warning light on the GPS within their vehicle will flash, and if the driver does not reduce their speed within 20 seconds, the citation will be issued and mailed to the registered driver’s home address.



The bill’s unanimous passage in the House illustrates its noncontroversial nature within the Ohio House, but it remains controversial to some who feel it is a violation of their right to privacy.



Jason Simmons, a commercial truck driver for Heartland Express, Inc., frequently has to transport freight through Ohio, and he’s very familiar with Ohio’s highway system.



“This is an unfair and unlawful violation of our privacy,” Simmons said. “Sometimes you have to speed up to pass [other drivers] that are driving significantly slower than the limit.”



According to Bealon, it is important to not lose focus on how this will help to make Ohio, and other states that follow, a safer place.



“These GPS systems will not only make our highways safer, but they will also make recovering stolen cars and finding missing persons much easier,” Bealon said.



Typically the automotive industry opposes government involvement in the industry, as nearly every industry does, but not in this case according to Mulally.



“This bill just makes sense financially, as well as with our safety concerns for people in general,” Mulally said. “I just hope more states will also considering making this change.”

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