General Motors Corporations's OnStar service shared a release today
announcing it is working with the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) to help emergency responders treat crash victims.
OnStar's
real-time crash data -- vehicle speed, impact points and airbag
deployment - collected through its Advanced Automatic Crash
Notification (AACN) system is currently used to help EMTs, trauma
surgeons, and first responders evaluate auto accidents earlier and more
comprehensively than ever before, and to help these professionals
provide the best care for crash victims both on the scene and at trauma
centers.
Using a collection of sensors inside the vehicle, the
OnStar system sends AACN data to an OnStar Advisor if the vehicle is
involved in a moderate or severe front, rear, or side-impact crash,
regardless of airbag deployment. AACN data includes crash severity
information, along with data on the direction of impact, air bag
deployment, multiple impacts and a rollover. The OnStar Advisor can
relay this information to emergency dispatchers helping them to
determine quickly the appropriate combination of emergency personnel,
equipment and medical facilities needed. More information on AACB can
be found a the official OnStar website.
General Motors offers AACN on more than two million vehicles across 40
GM models -- in the U.S. and Canada. It is also available in more than
one million OnStar-equipped GM vehicles on the road today. OnStar
receives approximately 1,200 airbag notifications and 700 AACN calls
each month.
OnStar and the CDC will gather a panel of more than 20 emergency
medical physicians, trauma surgeons, public safety, and vehicle safety
experts to review this valuable OnStar data to develop guidelines for
field triage decisions and medical treatment.
According to an article at CNN.com,
this type of precision can help emergency officials make the
"absolutely critical decision" of whether to send a crash victim to a
Level I trauma center, which provides the highest level of trauma care,
said Dr. Richard Hunt, who leads the CDC's division of injury response
at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
CNN
reports that the collaboration was developed through a $250,000 grant
from the General Motors Foundation. The CDC will review real-time crash
data from OnStar to help improve emergency transportation and the
treatment of crash victims.
According to GM, more than
six-million Americans were involved in police-reported traffic crashes
in 2005, in which more than 40,000 people were killed and more than two
million people were injured. OnStar believes getting better information
in the hands of the first responders and doctors through AACN data will
help save some of these lives.
Additionally, CNN.com reports
that OnStar is standard on about two-thirds of 2007 model-year GM
vehicles and will be included on most 2008 vehicles. As an option, it
costs $695, which includes the hardware and first year's subscription
fee. After the first year, the subscription price is $16.95 a month or
$199 annually. More information on OnStar can be found at GM's official OnStar Website.
General
Motors says this partnership with the CDC is further evidence its
commitment to safety and developing technology that improves the lives
of drivers and their passengers.
AACN is available in the following 2007 Model Year Vehicles:
Buick+
Chevrolet*
GMC*
Pontiac
Lucerne
Avalanche
Acadia
G5
Rainier
Cobalt
Denali
G6
Terraza
Equinox
Denali XL
Solstice
HHR
Envoy
Torrent
Cadillac+
Impala
Sierra
DTS
Malibu
Yukon
SAAB* +
Escalade
Malibu Maxx
Yukon XL
9-7x*
Escalade EXT
Monte Carlo
Escalade ESV
Silverado
Hummer*
Saturn*
SRX
Suburban
H2
Aura
STS
Tahoe
H2 SUT
Outlook
Trailblazer
H3
Relay
Uplander
Sky
Vue
*All new OnStar-equipped Chevrolet, GMC, Hummer, Pontiac, Saturn, and SAAB models include a one-year 'Safe & Sound' Plan.
+All new OnStar-equipped Buick and Cadillac models, as well as the Saab
9-7x include a one-year 'Directions & Connections' Plan.
