Starting January 2009, GM vehicles with valid OnStar memberships will be equipped with the Stolen Vehicle Slowdown technology. Stolen Vehicle Slowdown (or SVS) allows OnStar’s systems (GPS, cellular technology and the OnStar call center) to electronically reduce acceleration in a car that has been reported stolen. Carjackers beware. It is now possible for the law to take the joy out of your joyride, before it becomes a high-speed chase.
So let’s take the Big Brother aspect out of the equation. If a person opts into OnStar they know that they can be found any place they decide to go. Let’s just look at the safety aspect.
Carjacking can pretty much happen to anyone at anytime (not that it will happen to everyone). The FBI states that over 1 million vehicles are reported stolen each year. Of those around 30,000 end in a high speed chase. OnStar is hoping to reduce those numbers by intervening and slowing down the bad guys. Approximately 300 people a year are needlessly killed by these high speed chases. The plan to get the SVS technology in the GMs was announced in 2007, but the ’09s are going to be the first to use the system.
Imagine you are fleeing from the cops. You’ve got the loot in the back and you’re flying down the road, assuming you’re going to out run the fuzz. Suddenly the car decelerates and no matter what you do you can’t get the car to speed up again. It brings to mind the O.J. “chase,” where the driver headed down the L.A. freeway slow enough for lookey-loos and wanna-be papparazzi to catch up to the vehicle and peek into the window of the famous White Bronco. The Bronco was moving so slowly that it appeared the vehicle was loaded with the OnStar SVS.
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