A new enhancement to General Motors’ OnStar service could slowly disable a stolen car and even warn the thief through the audio system.
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Starting with about 20 models for 2009, the service will be able to slowly halt a car that is reported stolen, and the radio may even speak up and tell the thief to pull over because police are watching, the Associated Press reported.
OnStar already finds 700 to 800 cars per month using the global positioning system. With the new technology, which OnStar president Chet Huber said GM would apply to the rest of its lineup in future years, OnStar would call police and tell them a stolen car’s whereabouts, the report said.
Then, if officers see the car in motion and judge it can be stopped safely, they can tell OnStar operators, who will send the car a signal via cell phone to slow it to a halt.
“This technology will basically remove the control of the horsepower from the thief,” Huber told the Associated Press. “Everything else in the vehicle works. The steering works. The brakes work.”
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By GlobalDataGM said in a statement the technology works by limiting fuel flow, gradually slowing the vehicle.
The news agency said GM is still exploring the possibility of having the car give a recorded verbal warning before it stops moving. A voice would tell the driver through the radio speakers that police will stop the car, Huber told AP, and the car’s emergency flashers would go on.
“If the thief does nothing else it will coast to a stop. But they can drive off to the side of the road,” Huber said.
With the current version of OnStar, drivers can call operators for emergency help, and OnStar operators will contact a car if its sensors detect a crash, AP noted. The service has about 5m subscribers.
Those who want OnStar but don’t like police having the ability to slow down their car can opt out of the service, Huber told the news agency, adding that GM research shows that 95% of subscribers would like that feature.
OnStar, including the first year’s subscription fee, is standard on most of GM’s 2008 vehicles. After the first year, the subscription price is $US16.95 a month or $199 annually for basic service, which is to include the stolen-vehicle slowdown feature when it’s available, AP added.
GM would be willing to sell the technology to other automakers in an effort to cut police chases, Huber told the Associated Press.
The news agency said, if it spreads, the technology could make dangerous police chases a thing of the past – last year, 404 people were killed nationwide in crashes involving police pursuits, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Joe Farrow, deputy commissioner of the California Highway Patrol, told AP about 15% of the pursuits are at speeds of 90 miles per hour and greater – the OnStar system could help chases end safely, he said.
