OnStar Helps Children Reach Emergency Services

• Technology Can Save Lives On The Road, But It's Critical To Be Prepared

TROY, Mich., Aug 26, 2003 - Children spend a lot of time in automobiles being driven to and from school, daycare and extracurricular activities, to name a few. So it is just as important for children to know when and how to contact emergency personnel from an automobile as they do from home.

David and Robyn Clement of Baytown, Texas, know this first-hand. After Robyn Clement became ill while driving down a busy street with her three children in the car, nine-year-old Victoria took her mother's cell phone and called her father.

"Dad, something's wrong with Mom," she said as Robyn, who could barely move her hands and feet, managed to safely steer the vehicle into a parking lot.

David, who feared his wife was having a heart attack or stroke, told his daughter to push the OnStar emergency button on their Chevy Suburban's dashboard. OnStar uses Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite technology and wireless communication to link drivers to an advisor who can provide real-time assistance. Victoria pressed the OnStar button and was connected quickly to an advisor while David listened via his cell phone.

Victoria explained the situation to the advisor, who relayed the information and the vehicle's location to a 911 operator who then dispatched an ambulance to the scene.

"Victoria is a very level-headed kid," said David of his daughter's handling of the situation. "I couldn't believe she was so calm."

In another incident, Maria Ledsma's 10-year-old daughter used OnStar to contact emergency services after Ledsma suffered a seizure while driving with her four young children in Michigan.

Children ages six to 18 spend an average of one hour a day in cars, according a recent National Household Travel Survey conducted every six years by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Teaching children how to communicate with emergency personnel from a vehicle is as important as instructing them how to do so from home. Here are some tips:

• Talk to your children about how and when to dial 911, or how to use an in-vehicle communication system, such as OnStar, during an emergency.
  
• Explain to your children that 911 can be a source of help to them during an emergency.
  
• Teach children to give their full name and remain as calm as possible when speaking with the 911 operator or OnStar advisor so that they can send appropriate help as quickly as possible.
  
• Stay on the line until the operator says it is OK to hang up.

OnStar continues to work closely with emergency personnel to report thousands of motor vehicle emergencies every year. Between May and July 2003, OnStar responded to a monthly average of:

• 626 airbag notifications
  
• 655 stolen vehicle location requests
  
• 6,000 emergency calls
  
• 13,000 roadside assistance calls
  
• 14,000 remote vehicle diagnostics
  
• 26,000 remote door unlocks

The ComCARE Alliance and Telematics Update Magazine recognized OnStar recently for its outstanding performance and leadership. OnStar received the Leadership Award, for its forward-thinking solutions like Automatic Crash Notification and hands-free personal calling; and the Telematics in Action Award for its outstanding ability to use telematics solutions to enhance the driver's safety and security during or after an emergency event. The ComCARE Alliance is a not-for-profit coalition of over 90 medical, public safety, telecommunications, transportation, emergency-response and technology organizations.

About OnStar
OnStar, available on a range of vehicles from seven auto manufacturers, is the nation's leading provider of in-vehicle safety, security and information services using the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite network and wireless technology. OnStar services include automatic notification of air bag deployment, stolen vehicle assistance, emergency services, roadside assistance with location, remote door unlock, remote diagnostics, route support, OnStar concierge and convenience services. OnStar Personal Calling allows drivers to make and receive hands-free, voice-activated phone calls through a nationwide cellular network and access traffic and weather reports, as well as sports scores, stock quotes and news. More information about OnStar can be found at www.onstar.com.

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