OnStar teams with Red Cross for location-based disaster info

With Japan doing the whole earthquake awareness thing, it's not too surprising to see America embracing a more sophisticated method of divulging crisis-related information to those in need. OnStar's new Crisis Assist capabilities will not only provide access to "specially trained crisis advisers" that can contact emergency responders and provide real-time updates to the situation(s) at hand, but subscribers that can actually drive away from the disaster will be routed to the nearest established shelter. Additionally, frantic customers can be connected to friends and family that they have listed as close to their heart on the American Red Cross Safe and Well website, and public safety officials can be notified of a request for help and track down that person's location using OnStar's embedded GPS. Interestingly, there's no word on a timeframe in which we can expect the service to officially go live, but here's to hoping a disaster doesn't strike in order for you to find out.

[OddManOut @ Jun 7th 2007 2:48PM]

And 'conelrad' is reborn...

[NHAnimator @ Jun 7th 2007 3:29PM]

What follows in an actual OnStar conversation...

[Driver] Help! There's a tornado right in front of me! What do I do?

[OnStar] I can help you with that. I have you going East, no South, no West on Highway 66, no Interstate 43, uh, at 210MPH. Uh, do you have your PIN?

[Moff @ Jun 7th 2007 5:07PM]

Onstar and it's monopoly on the "Cell Phone" feature in a GM vehicle is why I don't buy GM anymore. I want gadgets that work and better yet.. with the cell phone in my car. I don't want a different phone number for my car!

I have bought 6 GM vehicles in the past, and was hard set on only getting American cars.

Now.. I have a non-american car that has all the gadgets I have been looking for.

OnStar is crap and @NHAnimator got it right. Difficult to deal with.

[Adrian Williams @ Jun 7th 2007 9:42PM]

WTF You dont have to pay for Onstar if you dont want it

[Moff @ Jun 7th 2007 9:47PM]

Agreed. I just want GM and others to know why I won't pay for their crappy service (I know a lot about this. I used to have OnStar until I realized how much of a waste of money it is). Emergency service on Cell towers are free to connect to. They could easily hook the system into that.

Hands-free Bluetooth also saves lives.

[kaztm @ Jun 7th 2007 6:57PM]

OnStar: "Please hold...there are currently 10,000 earthquake victims in the queue..."