OnStar Helps Survival Rates, CDC Says

Saab Onstar

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OnStar says the way it notifies emergency responders in accidents has helped save more lives--and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) agrees.

The CDC has published a study of two years' worth of data that shows vehicles with OnStar and other automatic crash-notification systems can give critical patients a better chance at surviving. The CDC's Web site reports that by transmitting crash data to emergency personnel, those EMTs and hospitals involved can decide whether a patient needs Level I trauma center care or not--and delivering those patients in need to a Level 1 center can lower the risk of death by 25% for severely injured patients.

OnStar partnered with the CDC last year to develop the data needed to make critical care decisions in the event of an accident. The recent trials of OnStar services pinpoint the location of the accident as well as information about the impact force of the accident, and whether and how airbags were deployed.

GM says OnStar has been involved in responding to more than 100,000 accidents, and the company adds it's built seven million cars with the hardware. OnStar hardware is free on most GM vehicles, and subscriptions are paid by drivers after a free startup period.
[Fox News, CDC]