The Auto Writer

General Motors’ OnStar product, an in-vehicle safety, security and communication services, has launched Stolen Vehicle Slowdown on more than one million model year 2009 GM vehicles in the U.S. and Canada.

Slowing Down Vehicles In A Police Pursuit

Stolen Vehicle Slowdown (SVS) is part of OnStar’s Stolen Vehicle Assistance service, an all-new enhancement that enables OnStar to help law enforcement in the recovery of subscribers’ stolen vehicles. A side benefit to SVS is that it is expected to help reduce traffic fatalities and injuries resulting from police chases.

Utilizing its unique built-in technology to assist law enforcement, OnStar can remotely send a signal that interacts with the vehicle’s engine, gradually slowing it down, aiding in a safe recovery.

“No other automaker provides its’ customers the peace of mind that OnStar Stolen Vehicle Slowdown does,” said Chet Huber, OnStar president. “Our subscribers have told us they don’t want their vehicle to be the instrument of harm.”

300 People Killed Annually Due To High Speed Chases

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are some 30,000 police chases that take place each year, resulting in approximately 300 deaths. OnStar says that SVS can help take high speed pursuits out of the equation, as well as the chance that a subscriber’s stolen vehicle will be crashed during a pursuit.

“Prior to Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, there were only three ways to stop a police chase; the officer elects to terminate the chase, the vehicle being pursued decides to stop or in the worse case scenario there is a crash,” said David Hiller, national vice president, Fraternal Order of Police. “With OnStar Stolen Vehicle Slowdown we now have an additional and obviously far safer method. We congratulate GM and OnStar for working with law enforcement as they developed this product.”

Chevrolet Leads The Way With Implementation Of Generation 8

General Motors plans to integrate SVS on more than one million model year 2009 vehicles through OnStar’s newest generation of hardware, Generation 8. Chevrolet, GM’s largest division, will lead the effort with over 500,000 Chevrolet vehicles equipped with SVS.

OnStar is now available on more than fifty model year 2009 GM vehicles, with buyers getting a free one year subscription and the option to renew yearly thereafter. Right now, GM claims 5.5 million OnStar subscribers across Canada and the United States.

(Source: General Motors)