General Motors OnStar
Cars in Trees
Tested: 1/1/2007 to 3/15/2007
My mistrust of cars started at the tender young age of 17. My car, which just a moment earlier was the very embodiment of my spirited and youthful independence, failed me. Breaking down on the side of the highway while driving home from college for the weekend, I was shocked and mortified that nobody was stopping to help me, and it was getting dark out, fast. I got out of the car, propped up the hood hoping that would signal someone to my trouble, and continued to wait. Nearly three hours later, just as sheer panic was beginning to set in (this was pre cell phone days) a creepy tow truck driver stopped. After hitching up my car, I timidly climbed into the cabin of the driver’s truck. While pulling off at the wrong exit, he asked me, “Do I scare you?” Well, yeah you scare me! The driver then told me that he’s not really the tow truck driver, and he needed to stop at his friend’s house to pick up some money for filling in for the night. Despite the bright red neon flashing arrows pointing directly to danger, I eventually ended up at home safely, tearfully relaying my terror to my father.
Imagine yourself or your teen driver being in a similar situation. Now imagine if you never had to travel in your car alone again, and that you always had immediate access to a highly trained (and live) human being to help guide you through any emergency or obstacle that you might encounter. Well, that service exists, and it’s called OnStar by GM.
After having the opportunity to tour the OnStar Command Center in Detroit recently, I leave feeling strangely emotional. What could cause me to nearly well up during this routine tour? Maybe it is the realization that my story isn’t unique, yet entirely preventable. Maybe it is the story about how OnStar’s GPS system recently helped safely locate a young woman who had been carjacked while using an ATM. Maybe it is the realization that OnStar’s remote diagnostics program can actually alert me to potential vehicle failures before they happen (imagine the reassurance of receiving a monthly email telling you that all of your car’s systems are operating optimally). Or maybe it’s the infinitely patient and highly trained OnStar operators who have not only helped the tooth fairy locate the vehicle in which a young boy lost his tooth, but also didn’t miss a beat when my 4-year-old daughter presses the blue button and asks “what happens if our car gets stuck on top of a tree.” The answer, just in case you’re wondering, is to simply press the red emergency button and someone will be right there to safely get you and your car out of the, uh, tree.
OnStar offers a whole slew of other unique services; remote door unlock to help me get into my car if I lock my keys in the car; remote horns and lights to help me find my car in a crowded parking lot or to scare away suspicious people loitering by the vehicle; Turn-by-Turn navigation (the most user friendly navigation system available; even my mother could figure this one out); hands-free calling, and more.
OnStar is not just another roadside assistance program, and it’s not just another cold and buttoned up automotive industry corporation (there are enough of those already). It is a socially conscious company that readily extends all service offerings to subscribers in emergencies (Hurricane Katrina victims, for example); OnStar is soulfully dedicated to keeping people safe in their cars. This is in and of itself reason for consumers to take a second look at General Motors for their next vehicle purchase.
For more details about OnStar services, please visit www.OnStar.com. A special thanks to General Motors for sponsoring Mother Proof’s visit to the Detroit Auto Show for a tour of OnStar’s Command Center.
| Specs | |
|---|---|
| Price range: | $16.99 – $29.99 per month |
| Height: | n/a |
| Width: | n/a |
| Length: | n/a |
| Weight: | n/a |
| Features: | “The leading provider of in-vehicle safety, security and communications services.” |
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