Safety on the road is no accident. Your car is usually occupied by precious cargo...yourself and your children. Surprisingly, children, whether they are being driven to school, daycare, or extracurricular activities, spend a lot of time in vehicles. In fact, children ages 6 to 18 spend an average of one hour a day in cars, according to a National Household Travel Survey conducted every six years by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Many parents and caregivers are very concerned about traveling alone in a deserted area with their children. So it is important for them to teach their children when and how to use in-vehicle safety and security systems to contact help in the event of an emergency.

Examples Of Emergencies

Leta White of Norwood, Ohio, was hiking in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee with her 12-year-old son Tommy and his friend, but this trip turned out to be more of an adventure than they ever imagined.

Nearly three miles from the end of the trail, Leta broke her leg, so she turned to the boys for help. Tommy and his friend hiked back to the family's 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer. They pressed the OnStar emergency button and were relieved to hear a voice answer their call for help.

The OnStar advisor connected the boys with park rangers and help was soon dispatched. After being on the mountain nearly 12 hours, Leta was carried to safety by the rescue teams. She later underwent surgery to repair three broken bones in her leg.

With call centers staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, OnStar is available to subscribers and the nation's 6,000 emergency 911 centers in all 50 states and every Canadian province. Subscribers have direct access to safety and security features such as emergency assistance, remote door unlock, stolen vehicle location assistance and GM Goodwrench Remote Vehicle Diagnostics. OnStar subscribers also have access to OnStar Personal Calling, which allows drivers to make and receive hands-free, voice-activated calling.

Absent of emergencies, there are some caregivers who feel it is their responsibility to show children how to call for help when an emergency does occur.

Daycare provider Marcia Iannacone, of Danbury, Conn., has taught the children she cares for more than how to share toys and pick up after themselves. Marcia teaches the kids-who range in age from 6 months to 8 years old-how to contact OnStar for help in the event of an emergency.

"I have taught my children that if we are ever in a crash of any kind, that all they have to do is push the sign of the 'cross' button," Marcia said, referring to the OnStar red emergency button.

Every day, an estimated 200,000 calls are made to 911 operators using wireless technology, according to the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA). OnStar responds to about 13,000 emergency calls each month, which are transferred to 911 operators.

Tips On Communicating With Emergency Personnel

Teaching children how to communicate with emergency personnel from a vehicle is as important as instructing them how to do so from home. Here are some tips:

• Talk to your children about how and when to dial 911, or how to use an in-vehicle communications system during an emergency.
• Explain to your children that 911 can be a source of help to them during an emergency.
• Teach children to give their full name and remain as calm as possible when speaking with the 911 operator or OnStar advisor so that appropriate help can be sent as quickly as possible.
• Stay on the line until the operator says it is OK to hang up.

-NAPSI-