It was late in the evening near the end of last month when rural Nova Scotia RCMP officers were facing having to call off pursuit of a pickup for the second time that night. High speed and wet roads created a dangerous combination. Then, thanks to some help from the sky (and an OnStar call centre operator) they were able to bring the stolen truck to a safe stop. Now, General Motors is launching a new ad campaign to remind buyers of the OnStar Stolen Vehicle Assistance services.
The Nova Scotia Mounties said they believed that it was the first time they've used technology like this in the province, though it has been used by other police services there. And across the country. Charlene Poranganel, assistant manager for global emergency services outreach at GM Canada told the CBC that OnStar Stolen Vehicle Services are used up to 60 times a month in Canada. Of those, two or three involve slowing down a stolen vehicle.
“On average, a vehicle is stolen every seven minutes in Canada and costs Canadians close to $1 billion every year,” said Mike Speranzini, director of sales and marketing, OnStar in Canada. “The need for safety and security is timeless. OnStar can remotely help police recover our members’ stolen vehicles.”
In addition to slowing a vehicle for police, Stolen Vehicle Assistance can use the onboard GPS of the car or truck to locate it and lead police to the location. Remote ignition block stops it from being restarted following a theft. And theft alarm notification can send you a text, email, or call if the vehicle alarm goes off after the doors are locked. It's part of the OnStar Safety and Security plan, and GM has been fitting vehicles with the features since 2009.
GM is launching a new campaign to remind buyers and owners about these OnStar features. They're available in addition to the other OnStar connected vehicle services like remote diagnostics, turn by turn navigation directions, remote unlocking, and emergency assistance.
