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54 Comments
- phosphite, on 05/23/2009, -0/+28Ironically, it doesn't seem to be helping GM's survival.
- Spuy767, on 05/23/2009, -1/+27Holy *****. You mean to tell me that not sitting bleeding in a car for forty minutes after your car has careened off of a country road into a tree improves your chances of not bleeding to death?
- moxley, on 05/23/2009, -3/+10Like I really want some large corporation with deep govt ties being able to spy on me, disable my car, unlock my doors, know how fast I drive, know who I call and know where I am at all times.
***** that. - IchiroBoston, on 05/23/2009, -2/+8It definitely is good "timing" by the CDC and GM but at the same time I have a GMC Envoy with onstar and feel the monthly fee is worth every penny. I like having a totally hands free cell phone which is added as a family share plan on Verizon or pay as you go. I am less worried when my Wife and baby are out on their own, I insist they take the envoy.
- emansxt, on 05/23/2009, -0/+6As a former onstar advisor I would say about 90% of the accident calls I get was already seen by a passerby who called 911. The system takes about a minute before the call reaches an onstar advisor. the other 10% was from someone who was in the middle of nowhere. Also I would get calls from drunk drivers who didn't want anyone sent to them, and we would now send any help if they asked not to. It's something good if you spend a lot of time driving in rural areas, but if you live in a city and as many cellphones as people have today, someone will call 911 before Onstar does.
- inactive, on 05/23/2009, -3/+9Yay onstar keeping us safe by letting the government spy on us.
- inactive, on 05/23/2009, -2/+8"A new study finds that having CCTV cameras in your neighborhood lowers crime rates!"
- inactive, on 05/23/2009, -0/+5ya this is crazy, almost everyone in my neighborhood drives Mercedes and BMW's
- veled, on 05/23/2009, -0/+5That's because GM/OnStar is thinking too damn small by only putting it in new cars, and only THEIR new cars on top of that.
If they could somehow convince the government/public that OnStar is the new seat belt (proven to save lives, stupider NOT to have it, etc.), they could make a fortune licensing it out to other companies / selling aftermarket conversions to it.
GM is only one brand of 40+ years of cars currently in use in this country. Aftermarket conversions opens up whole new streams of revenue. - gordigor, on 05/23/2009, -2/+6I wish they had OnStar on other manufacturers.
- smemily, on 05/23/2009, -0/+4If that were true, then there'd be no difference in battery drain between "off", "talk time" and "standby time" - unless they made "talk time" drain the battery extra to divert my suspicions! OH NOES! <dons tinfoil hat>
- inactive, on 05/23/2009, -1/+5why does the Center for Disease Control track car accident statistics?
- Konrad9, on 05/23/2009, -1/+5I sure hope you can find a bigger vehicle when you have a second kid, TWO might not fit in that tiny SUV!
- IffyG, on 05/23/2009, -0/+4Because car accidents are a relevant public health concern.
- pinchduck, on 05/23/2009, -0/+4That can't be true, everyone knows that everything GM touches turns to crap. Track those people down and kill them to make sure that the stats match the public perception.
- one504, on 05/23/2009, -3/+7Coincidence?
"According to the terms of G.M.’s reorganization plan, the Treasury Department will get about 50 percent of the restructured company..." [NYT] http://tinyurl.com/ohnajr - Konrad9, on 05/23/2009, -1/+4Hope you don't have a cell phone or GPS, minus those disable car and unlock the doors.
- spriggig, on 05/23/2009, -1/+4Next up, for your own safety of course, mandatory GPS tracking of every new vehicle sold in America--but the "service" will be "free" (that is paid for by taxes) because our government cares about your safety.
And right after that, a bunch of blog posts on how to disable it.
And then stories of people presented as "tin foil hat types" being pulled over, tasered and arrested for disabling their GPS tracking devices.
George Orwell--predicting the future since 1948. - TheSkinsFactory, on 05/23/2009, -0/+3You have to call BMW Assist. It's great like AAA. OnStar will call for help automatically if you're in a car crash, can unlock your car door if you lock your keys in. Shut down the car if its stolen. I think it makes you bacon and eggs on Sunday mornings but I'll have to check the manual and get back to you.
- Zaxcomp, on 05/23/2009, -0/+2I'm sure the rest of the planet that isn't human thinks of cars as a disease.
- robharper, on 05/23/2009, -0/+2Hey d-bag, he was talking about OnStar, not just the Envoy.
- Zaxcomp, on 05/23/2009, -0/+2Exactly. A tracking device that they make you pay for.
- shig, on 05/23/2009, -0/+2The Department of Health doesn't want to wake up the Department of Transportation.
It looks so peaceful... - A5204, on 08/13/2009, -0/+2Have you also seen a lot of 'shops in your day?
- kent1146, on 05/23/2009, -0/+2Your argument is flawed. I'll try to explain why I think that:
OnStar is a differentiator. They'd be stupid to commoditize it, and just throw their differentiator away. GM is in the business of selling cars, not selling services based on cell phone technology. If anything, a report like this makes an even stronger case for why people SHOULD buy a GM car. If they just sold it or licensed it away to other car companies, then GM could no longer compete effectively on safety... they'd have to compete on other factors, like price and quality, which hasn't worked out too well for them.
Financially, an Onstar plan costs consumers $200 per year. Assuming that a car lasts 10 years, they get $2000 in revenue for each Onstar system they sell in a non-GM car. You'd need to sell over 12 of these plans, just to get the equivalent revenue of ONE GM car that sells for $24,000. That's a 12:1 break-even ratio.
GM is still the #1 automaker in the US and the world with a 20% market share in terms of cars sold. What you're proposing is that they risk a 1:5 car business on a bet that Onstar will somehow overcome a 12:1 break-even ratio. Doing what you propose just doesn't make sense. - SPECOPS, on 05/23/2009, -0/+2All the others, Acura, Audi, Subaru, Mercedes etc. used OnStar for a few years, rebranded as telematic or teleaid. So, no they weren't doing it way before OnStar, it WAS OnStar. Not that I'm taking sides, but the facts speak for themselves. BMW Assist copied OnStar, it didn't come out first, or even second, or third - and it's not standard on all cars like OnStar is on GMs ---- but unlike TSF said, it does automatically call now with deployment of Airbags, other sensors, etc.
- IffyG, on 05/23/2009, -0/+2http://www.cdc.gov/injuryresponse/pdf/AACN%20Repor ...
Take the time to read the report (it's cited at the bottom on the article). If you still don't believe it, send the CDC a FOIA request. - SummerofGeorge, on 05/23/2009, -0/+2this is much more of a justifiable reason rather than just "having more protection" in an accident
sure, you may get marginally better protection in an SUV if you just let go of the steering, but if you try avoidance maneuvers, it might roll the vehicle due to the higher center of gravity - inactive, on 05/23/2009, -0/+1The topic is Onstar so I think I'm well within range. Your are just being picky because you don't like what I have to say.
Also: HK > Sig - inactive, on 05/24/2009, -0/+1In another study it was found that not getting in the car in the first place reduced the chance of death by collision by a further 99%.
- Zaxcomp, on 05/23/2009, -0/+1I'll clear this up for you:
duckerjo555 was making the comparison of the headline for Onstar to a hypothetical one for CCTV, because both are invasions of privacy. I chimed in to note that with Onstar you have to pay for this invasion, just to turn the screw a bit further.
Due note, that in most large retail stores today the zoom is capable of distinguishing coins on the ground, or the value of bills in cashier's hands. The cameras used today are no where close to those used in the 80's. - inactive, on 05/23/2009, -2/+3Onstar also helps the authorities listen in to any conversations you have in your vehicle and track your movements with ease. Onstar and similar systems can be turned on from their end at any time they choose and you have no way to know whether it is active or not. You are basically paying them to spy on you and they do keep records of where you drive and they share that data with other companies and agencies.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20041127/n ...
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2005/07/onstar_ea ... - Zaxcomp, on 05/23/2009, -0/+1All the good German autos have it as an option.
- athinnes, on 10/01/2009, -0/+1Also helps lonesome rates
- AlThor880, on 05/23/2009, -1/+2http://www.metacafe.com/watch/35289/blondstar/
- stupidfilters, on 05/23/2009, -0/+1ya cause all profit margins are 100%
1 car wouldn't be 24k in profit
the profit margin on Onstar is probably much higher
not saying you're wrong, i'm just saying your logic is flawed as well - tgc1, on 05/23/2009, -1/+2Precisely what I was thinking. OnStar is the worst thing to happen to cars since self-parking systems.
- Lynxpro, on 05/23/2009, -0/+1...you mean they used to. In 2004, you could get OnStar on VW. Not now...unless I am wrong.
- Lynxpro, on 05/23/2009, -2/+3
...the Feds can already listen to you via your cell phone even if it is turned off. You'd have to remove your battery when not using the phone in order to thwart them. - IffyG, on 05/23/2009, -2/+2I hope you don't carry a cell phone.... it wouldn't be good for your paranoia. The government doesn't care what you are doing. No one is sitting in a bunker going... hmmmm I'm bored lets track this guys daily route to work.
- randumbusername, on 05/23/2009, -1/+1so
- RyeBrye, on 05/23/2009, -1/+1Yes.
- Lynxpro, on 05/23/2009, -1/+1
I hope the Feds force GM to spin-off OnStar. It should not be limited to just GM vehicles. It would be a success on its own and I distinctly remember that back in 2004, it was also available on VW cars, amongst other brands.
If anything, OnStar needs to be merged into XM/Sirius which should also be fully acquired by DirecTV. Those are complementing services which could combine their separate hardware platforms and thereby reduce their pricing to consumers to drive up the subscriber numbers. The same can be said for AT&T acquiring ADT. - Archer007, on 05/23/2009, -1/+1OnStar = Big Brother
http://news.cnet.com/2100-1029_3-5109435.html - ohreilly, on 05/24/2009, -0/+0Note that I said "digital zoom" on the resulting recorded video. Not exactly going to get HD there.
How are CCTV cameras in public spaces (high streets etc) and private establishments (pubs, shops etc) invasions of privacy? I can see the point if cameras started being forced into people's homes and gardens, but they are not.
Also, if you watch any of the CCTV programmes in the UK, the cameras (both public and private) are pretty naff in terms of picture quality. It's like it's been recorded on the oldest VHS tape in existance then copied 100 times for good measure. - mrmudgeon, on 05/23/2009, -3/+2This article is total BS and not to be believed. I know this because no numbers or other facts to describe the lives saved have been presented. While the article mentions two years of data, none were released.
- Spuy767, on 05/23/2009, -2/+1Off topic.
- ohreilly, on 05/23/2009, -1/+0CCTV? tracking? not really.
More a "if we used digital zoom on the video we recorded from this camera we might be able to pick out an excessively grainy image of you if you happened to be in the area at the time, if we bothered to record it at all since no one was committing a crime"
As opposed to a proper tracking system, where you can see where someone or something is at all times. - LivingnTheory, on 05/23/2009, -2/+1Batman had it, so it must be good.
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