December 18, 2009 by admin
Stolen Vehicle Assistance Helps Nail Carjackers
It started out as a typical Tuesday evening for Laura Anderson. But it turned into a night she’ll remember for a long time.
Laura had just returned home from bowling and parked her 2007 Chevy TrailBlazer in her driveway. As she walked to her back door, a gun-wielding teen approached her and demanded she give him everything she had. Laura was absolutely terrified. She hit the panic button on her key fob, threw the keys at him and yelled, “Here, take the car and get out of here, just go!”
Then two other teens appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. They jumped into the vehicle and sped off. Laura was in shock.
“I was never so frightened in my life. I had my cell phone in my hand the whole time but I was shaking so bad, I couldn’t even dial 911. I ran into the house and screamed to my boyfriend to call the police. He had been upstairs and didn’t hear anything.”
When the police came to her home and took the report, Laura told them her car was equipped with OnStar. The police contacted OnStar, and after confirming with Laura and the police that the vehicle was stolen, an OnStar Advisor used GPS to help police locate the vehicle. The police found the TrailBlazer with the thieves still in it. They were apprehended and the vehicle was returned to an ecstatic Laura.
“I was absolutely amazed at how quickly they found it,” Laura says. “It took less than 30 minutes and, because they were so fast, there was minimal damage to my car. The whole thing happened so quickly — from the carjacking to the recovery — it was almost surreal. But I do believe that if it wasn’t for OnStar, I would never have seen my car again.”
Laura has been driving cars equipped with OnStar for almost 10 years. “I wouldn’t think of getting a car without OnStar,” she says. “I highly recommend it to everyone I know. I feel it’s worth every penny.”
OnStar’s newest weapons to combat stolen vehicles
OnStar’s latest enhancements to its Stolen Vehicle Assistance1 arsenal — Stolen Vehicle Slowdown®2 and Remote Ignition Block3 — are doing even more to help with the quick and safe recovery of stolen vehicles and assist police in helping prevent high-speed chases, reducing property damage and saving lives. Here’s how they work:
Stolen Vehicle Slowdown can remotely slow a stolen vehicle to idle speed
- OnStar pinpoints the stolen vehicle’s exact GPS location and provides it to authorities.
- When police identify the vehicle and let OnStar know it’s in the clear, an Advisor will send a remote signal to reduce engine power, slowing the vehicle down gradually while all other vehicle systems, including power steering and brakes, remain fully operational.
Remote Ignition Block prevents a stolen vehicle from restarting
- OnStar pinpoints the stolen vehicle’s exact GPS location and provides it to authorities.
- The Advisor sends a Remote Ignition Block signal to the stolen vehicle, which prevents it from being restarted.
- On select models, authorities can request Stolen Vehicle Slowdown if they have a clear line of sight of the stolen vehicle and confirm conditions are safe to slow the vehicle down.
With capabilities such as Stolen Vehicle Slowdown and Remote Ignition Block, OnStar subscribers have the added peace of mind knowing their vehicle can be prevented from being used as an instrument of harm.
1 Ability to locate stolen vehicles varies with conditions.
2 Stolen Vehicle Slowdown is available on select 2009 GM vehicles. Visit onstar.com for details.
3 Remote Ignition Block is available on select 2009 and newer GM vehicles. Visit onstar.com for details. Success varies with conditions.
Scariest situation ever in a vehicle: What is the scariest situation you have ever encountered in a vehicle? Does the memory make you a different driver now? Share your story with others in our OnStar Connections forum.
[...] Stolen Vehicle Slowdown has been used nearly 60 times. Read about how the service helped catch the carjackers who stole Laura Anderson’s TrailBlazer and the thief who took Jose Ruiz’s Tahoe. Related PostsEmergency Services: Poisoned Pooch’s [...]