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OnStar
Subscribers To Be "Good Samaritans"
in Search for Missing Children
General
Motors' subsidiary OnStar has joined with the National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children (NCMEC) in its efforts to help find missing children. OnStar's
Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite and wireless technologies and the expertise
of its call center advisors will now serve as the communications link for its
2.5 million subscribers in their efforts to help bring missing children home safely.
An
OnStar subscriber who wants to report emergency information related to an AMBER
Alert or a lost child can press the red OnStar emergency button in his or her
vehicle. Immediately, the subscriber will be connected with an OnStar emergency
services advisor who will expedite the call to a 911 dispatcher.
| "It
is important to keep in mind that just one lead can result in
finding a child."
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This
unique collaboration marks the first time that an in-vehicle safety communications
system using GPS satellite technology and private citizens have teamed up to help
NCMEC locate missing children. OnStar's growing subscriber network represents
the nation's largest, most technologically advanced fleet of good Samaritans.
GM's OnStar, with call centers staffed 24 hours, 365 days a year, is available
to subscribers and the nation's 6,000 emergency 911 centers in all 50 states and
every Canadian province. "Our
partnership with OnStar has just added another 2.5 million sets of watchful eyes
on the road in the nation's ongoing efforts to help find missing children,"
said Ernie Allen, president and CEO of NCMEC. The
OnStar-NCMEC alliance will become a key component of OnStar's good Samaritan program,
which encourages subscribers to use the OnStar system to make calls on behalf
of others in need. All OnStar good Samaritan calls are strictly voluntary, and
emergency advisors will not encourage subscribers to endanger themselves by following
or confronting a suspect vehicle. Each
month, OnStar receives about 8,000 emergency assistance calls, which include 3,000
good Samaritan calls for medical emergencies and crashes involving other motorists.
These good Samaritan calls also include AMBER Alerts and calls for missing children. "Clearly,
this initiative is a natural extension of OnStar's
industry-leading in-vehicle
safety and security services," said OnStar President Chet Huber. "When
a child is missing, every second counts to increase the likelihood of a safe return.
The ability to quickly share critical information with public safety officials
can be the difference between a child found and a tragedy."
The
AMBER program (which stands for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response)
is a successful partnership between the nation's law enforcement agencies and
radio and television stations to activate emergency bulletins to the public when
a child is abducted and believed to be in danger.
"It
is important to keep in mind that just one lead can result in finding a child,"
said Allen. "Pressing the red emergency button in an OnStar-equipped vehicle
can provide vital information to law enforcement which can lead to the recovery
of a missing child."
Recognizing
OnStar's advanced GPS technology, XM Satellite Radio will encourage listeners
who are driving OnStar-equipped vehicles to press the red emergency button to
report information related to an AMBER Alert sighting in their area. "XM
is proud to support NCMEC and OnStar in providing an important public service
that can positively impact the lives of children nationwide," said XM President
and CEO Hugh Panero. XM provides AMBER Alerts and other important public safety
and homeland security notifications on air and printed on the radio display.
Through
March 2004, General Motors has produced more than one million XM-equipped GM vehicles.
General Motors was the first automaker to offer factory-installed XM Satellite
Radio, which is currently available in 42 GM models for 2004.
About
AMBER Alert Today
The
AMBER Alert program has grown to 96 community wide plans, 48 of which are statewide.
To date, 133 children have been recovered since the program began in 1996. In
2003, President George W. Bush signed the Protect Act, which established a national
AMBER Alert Coordinator within the U.S. Department of Justice.
For
more information about the national AMBER plan, please visit www.ojp.usdoj.gov.
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About
the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
 NCMEC
is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which serves as a national clearinghouse
for information and a resource for child protection. It works in cooperation with
the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
NCMEC's congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting mechanism for child
sexual exploitation, has handled more than 225,000 leads. Since its establishment
in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 95,901 missing child
cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 80,500 children.
For
more information, please visit www.missingkids.com or call toll-free 1-800-THE-LOST.
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About
OnStar
 OnStar,
available on more than 50 GM and select models from six other automakers, is the
nation's leading provider of in-vehicle safety, security and information services
using the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite network and wireless technology.
OnStar services include automatic notification of air bag deployment, stolen vehicle
location assistance, emergency services, roadside assistance with location, remote
door unlock, GM Goodwrench remote vehicle diagnostics route support and convenience
services.
OnStar Personal Calling allows drivers to make and receive hands-free, voice-activated
phone calls through a nationwide cellular network and access a wide range of other
info services.
Additional
information is available at www.onstar.com. |
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