OnStar signs with CDC to beam real-time crash information

While you'd probably agree that having a perfect stranger tracking your car's every move is less than comforting, we certainly wouldn't mind the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention taking a peek at our status in case of a crash. In a recent deal between General Motors and the CDC, the company's OnStar system will soon be working hand-in-hand with the agency by beaming "real-time crash data to help emergency services provide a more targeted response to those injured in a car accident." Basically, the OnStar system would alert emergency responders when one's airbag was deployed, but it would also send crash-specific information concerning the severity of the hit(s), where it was struck, and if it was rolled over. The idea is to provide more accurate information to officials that are required to make critical decisions regarding care, and this new system will purportedly go live sometime in 2008 -- if your OnStar will actually connect, that is.

[Via MedGadget]

[Colin @ Mar 24th 2007 10:13AM]

And all this data will be used for good or evil by the insurance companies too?

[tiuk @ Mar 24th 2007 11:33AM]

Does the CDC have some function that I'm not aware of? I'm not American, so all I know of it is what I see in movies and TV, but based on that and the name, isn't it just for, well, disease control? I can't figure out what that has to do with car accidents (unless a truck carrying toxic chemicals or something flips, but that's a pretty loose connection for a system like this).

[R3AL1Z3 @ Mar 24th 2007 12:50PM]

government conspiracy