OnStar Testing Road Alert for Turn-by-Turn Navigation
Driving around curves can mean more than just challenging driving — in some cases, it can lead to a crash. Just ask Sheri Walley. After she missed a hairpin turn, Sheri’s car hit a ditch, flipped over and ended up on its side about 25 feet into the woods.
Fortunately, OnStar was there to help Sheri. But unfortunately, stories like Sheri’s happen too often. A government study found that driving too fast around a curve is the cause of almost 5 percent of crashes.
And curves are not the only sudden change in road conditions that can contribute to crashes. Another government study showed that 34 percent of serious crashes had contributing factors related to the roadway condition or its environment.
Road Alert utilizes the power of the community
To help better prepare drivers for roads that call for extra caution, OnStar is testing Road Alert for Turn-by-Turn Navigation.
“Have you ever been driving in an unfamiliar area and wondered what’s around the corner? We’re developing OnStar Road Alert to allow the community to help provide those gentle taps on the shoulder when they’re needed the most,” said Scott Jackson, Service Line Manager, Navigation Services.
Road Alert is an audio alert that warns drivers to use extra caution when they are following an OnStar Turn-by-Turn route. The exact locations of the alerts are submitted by the OnStar community.
See Jackson explain more about how Road Alert works:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7-lKb7n6Bs]
Road Alert needs your input
You can help make Road Alert stronger by submitting high-risk areas to our Road Alert map. You can submit anything that might take an unsuspecting driver by surprise or call for extra caution. Examples include curves, steep grades, railroad crossings, school crossings, lane endings, speed reductions, busy intersections, animal crossings and mud and rockslide areas.
To submit a Road Alert, head over to the Road Alert map. Make sure to give as much detail about the location as possible. After we receive the submission, the OnStar Navigation Team will investigate your submission for potential inclusion in Turn-by-Turn Navigation routes. After investigation and inclusion in the Turn-by-Turn routes, drivers approaching the area you’ve designated may then hear the Road Alert you submitted while using the routes.
By identifying locations for potential inclusion, you can help other drivers know that they should pay a little more attention. And who knows, you could even be helping someone avoid an accident.
Road Alert is for information only. Obey all traffic control signs, notices and signals. Stay alert to conditions that may affect your route such as traffic, construction, weather or other events because these may cause conditions to vary.
