- GM’s OnStar service usually requires a subscription
- But the company makes it free to use during certain emergencies
In an age of AI-enabled voice assistants and cars with chatty personalities, GM’s OnStar service can seem a little old-fashioned. But ask anyone who’s owned a lot of tools — it’s the oldest tools you can rely on most.
The company reports that about 4,000 people relied on it during recent catastrophic flooding in Texas.
Related: Is It Safe to Drive a Car Damaged in a Flood?
OnStar, in case you haven’t seen it since its debut for the 1997 model year, is a service in many Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC vehicles that connects you to a live operator when you touch a blue button in the center of the ceiling near the rearview mirror or tap an app on the touchscreen.
Using it normally requires a monthly subscription fee. But, during crises, GM activates the system for everyone free of charge.
4,000 Calls, 12 Rescues
- The company says it received more than 4,000 calls for help during the Texas floods last month
- In a dozen cases, it coordinated rescues using real-time location data
Flash floods killed more than 130 people in central Texas last month. GM activated OnStar’s Crisis Mode during the disaster.
“Over the course of the emergency, OnStar answered 4,000 crisis calls,” the company says. In 12 cases, operators directly supported successful rescues of drivers.
Related: Car Safety Features 101 – Everything You Need to Know
Contacting first responders, OnStar operators “helped authorities prioritize resources, locate missing persons, and save lives.” In some cases, they could track cars’ precise location in real time and tell first responders exactly where to go. In others, they convinced owners to abandon cars and get to higher ground when staying in the car might have proved deadly.
Most cases weren’t nearly so dramatic, but that’s a good thing. Operators “helped drivers avoid emergencies by helping them navigate through safe evacuation routes and reach loved ones with free Wi-Fi support,” GM says.
The PR Is Self-Serving, but Still Worth Knowing About
- Yes, GM is promoting itself with these press releases
- But it’s worth knowing that your inactive OnStar button may activate for free in a crisis
GM is, of course, being a little self-serving in issuing press releases about the rescues. And OnStar could use some good publicity — an OnStar-branded driver training system was behind a privacy controversy last year when The New York Times discovered that the company was selling driver data to insurance brokers.
The Biden administration banned GM from selling driver data in response, and two Senators launched an investigation into the data that other automakers collect and sell about your driving.
But we think it’s worth getting the word out this time, because GM activates Crisis Mode during other natural emergencies.
The company says it has recently used the system “in other states affected by flooding, including North Carolina, New York, and New Jersey.”
In a weather disaster, you may be able to use the blue OnStar button in your car even if you don’t pay a monthly fee for the service.
Related: Volkswagen Makes Some Safety Services Free After Kidnapping Incident
