OnStar's Guiding Safety Principles
For OnStar, delivering its array of services while helping the driver maintain control of the vehicle is a top priority. The overriding goal is to limit the amount of unnecessary and excessive attention demands on the driver while he or she is driving.
OnStar follows the same guiding principles as its parent company, General Motors, which govern the design and use of telematics technology in its vehicles. They are:
- Minimize eyes-off-the-road, hands-off-the-wheel time.
- Minimize the number of steps required to perform a task.
- Create a common interface in how consumers interact with the system.
- Utilize a lockout protocol to prevent the use of systems that create unnecessary and excessive attention demands on the driver.
OnStar's three-button system is integrated into either the overhead console, the rearview mirror or the instrument panel, depending on the vehicle. The driver communicates with the advisor at the OnStar Center through a hands-free microphone built into the vehicle, and radio speakers carry the advisor's responses.
 |
OnStar and General Motors Promote "SenseAble Driving" OnStar, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors, has been at the forefront of delivering the communication and information services customers want in the safe manner they deserve. With the creation of "SenseAble Driving," OnStar and General Motors have taken their commitment to safety a step further. For more information click here. |
OnStar and the National Mayday Readiness Initiative
OnStar is a member of the ComCARE (Communications for Coordinated Assistance and Response to Emergencies) Alliance, which has joined with the U.S. Department of Transportation to sponsor the National Mayday Readiness Initiative. The program is supported by a grant from General Motors.
The ComCARE Alliance is a coalition of more than 50 public and private organizations that work to enhance public safety utilizing wireless technologies. The group includes nurses, physicians, emergency medical technicians, 9-1-1 directors, wireless companies, public safety and health officials, law enforcement groups, automobile companies, telematics suppliers, safety groups and others who are working to encourage the deployment of life-saving wireless communications networks and technologies that will help connect America's mobile public to emergency agencies.
The National Mayday Readiness Initiative is focused on creating an end-to-end system that links existing technology, such as smart cars, wireless telecommunications, intelligent transportation systems and emergency care, to one another to respond to life-threatening emergencies. The process brings together key stakeholders to voluntarily set standards for how these technologies will interface with present-day and future emergency systems.