ComCARE Applauds GM's Decision to Make OnStar Standard Equipment

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2005 -- The emergency medical and public safety leaders of the ComCARE Alliance today enthusiastically praised General Motors' decision to make its OnStar telematics service, which includes Automatic Crash Notification (ACN), standard equipment on all retail vehicles in 2007.

"This is an extraordinarily significant decision for emergency medicine," said Dr. Jack Potter, ComCARE Alliance Vice Chair and Director of Emergency Medicine for Valley Health System, Winchester, Virginia, adding, "ACN, and more importantly AACN technologies, will give us immediate information about crash victims that will eventually save thousands of lives a year. GM is really taking a leadership role here."

"Quicker response to emergencies saves lives. By shaving minutes or more off emergency response times, and providing exact location, telematics systems have the potential to reduce death and permanent injury on America's roads and highways, whether the emergency is a heart attack or a crash," said Robert Bass, MD, FACEP, Executive Director, Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services; President, National Association of State EMS Directors and member of the ComCARE Board. He continued, "Systems like OnStar are excellent first steps in getting the right response faster to the scene of an emergency on the road."

Bass noted that the first sixty minutes after a traumatic injury are critical. Chances of survival are dramatically improved if medical attention is given within the first "golden hour."

ACN systems use wireless communications and Global Position Satellite technologies to call automatically an emergency response center and provide the vehicle's precise location when an airbag deploys or an in-car "Mayday" button is pressed. In its more advanced form, using a collection of sensors, advanced automatic crash notification (AACN) automatically calls a telematics service center if the vehicle is involved in a qualified frontal, rear or side-impact crash, regardless of air bag deployment. AACN provides crash severity information to OnStar advisors, who relay it to 9-1-1 dispatchers, and soon to other emergency response agencies which request the data. AACN systems can predict the likelihood of life threatening injury using data on the severity of crash, direction of impact, air bags deployed, multiple impacts and rollover (if equipped with appropriate sensors).

"Telematics technologies give the automotive, medical and emergency response communities a tool to dramatically improve public safety," said Richard Taylor, ENP, Chair of the ComCARE Alliance, and immediate past President of the National Emergency Number Association and Executive Director of the North Carolina Wireless 9-1-1 Board. "Knowing where and when a crash occurs or receiving a report about a heart attack, suspicious activity or information in response to an Amber Alert will help us send the right response," he added.

"This is what we have been asking for, and now GM is delivering. We congratulate them on their leadership and encourage all automobile manufacturers to follow their lead and make these safety technologies available to every consumer," Taylor said.

ComCARE's members believe that the convergence of new and existing telecommunications, information, telematics, and automotive technologies will enhance the safety and security of Americans. ComCARE is a seven year old national, non-profit alliance bringing together 100 organizations of emergency doctors and nurses, state and local public safety officials, departments of transportation, and wireless, transportation and technology companies. Its mission is to improve emergency communications and response through cooperation and new technologies. For more information, visit ComCARE's website at http://www.comcare.org/ or email us at media@comcare.org.