DETROIT, July 31 (UPI) -- General Motors Corp. Wednesday unveiled a new crash notification system that will automatically call 911 for help and provide information on the severity of a crash.
The new GM advanced automatic crash notification system will be available on 400,000 OnStar-equipped 2004 model-year vehicles sold in the United States and Canada, beginning late next year.
Current systems make an emergency call when air bags deploy. The new system will have a collection strategically places sensors that will call for if a vehicle is involved in a moderate to severe frontal, rear or side-impact crash, regardless of air bag deployment. Eventually, the sensors also may be able to determine the number of people in the vehicle, whether they were using seat belts and other information that would help emergency workers determine the severity of injuries.
"With the new technology of this enhanced GM crash notification system, we have a tremendous opportunity to save more lives," said Robert C. Lange, GM executive director of vehicle safety. "AACN will assist emergency personnel in determining crash severity in those precious minutes following a crash and help get the right people to the scene faster."
OnStar currently receives about 500 air bag deployment notifications a month.
In other news:
A report issued by Environmental Defense indicates new vehicles built by GM produce more carbon dioxide than the cars and trucks sold by other manufacturers in the United States.
The report, "Automakers' Corporate Carbon Burdens," said the GM fleet produces 6.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2000, compared with 5.6 million for Ford Motor Co., 4 million for Chrysler Corp., 2 million for Toyota Motor Co., 1.3 million for Honda Motor Co. and 900,000 for Nissan Motor Co. Per vehicle emissions were highest for Chrysler, the report said.
"CO2 is not a pollutant," Eron Shosteck, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers told the Detroit Free Press. "This is a fuel-economy issue and fuel economy has been decided by Congress."
GM spokesman Mike Morrissey said the solution to the problem is fuel cells, which produce no emissions.
U.S. cars and trucks produce about 5 percent of the world's total carbon dioxide emissions.
Ford reportedly is considering consigning its mammoth Excursion sport-utility vehicle to extinction after 2004.
WDIV-TV, Detroit, and the Detroit News report Ford has been disappointed in sales of its 19-foot-long, 7,200-pound SUV, which were down 17 percent through June from last year's levels. The Excursion gets a mere 12 miles per gallon and is too tall to fit in many garages.
The reported decision comes less than a year after William Clay Ford Jr., an avowed environmentalist, took over the company his great grandfather founded.
The Excursion was created to compete with the Chevrolet Suburban. Through June, Ford sold 15,107 Excursions while GM sold 66,882 Suburbans.
Independent auto mechanics are urging Congress to force automakers to share restricted computer codes, which the independents say are forcing owners to go to dealers for repairs. Though 20 manufacturers have signed an agreement to participate in code sharing, independents say only a handful have taken steps to do so by the January 2003 deadline.
"We will lose our customers and eventually our businesses," Bill Haas, vice president for division education and training at the Automotive Association, told the Senate Consumer Affairs, Foreign Commerce and Tourism subcommittee.
