On Star

I have seen the OnStar commercials a hundred times.  There is an accident and the friendly OnStar voice lets you know that help is on the way.  Even my 10 year old son thinks it is pretty cool that they call 911 for you.  But I didn't drive a GM car, so it wasn't an option for me.

Or so I thought.

About a month ago I learned about OnStar FMV.  You can now purchase a rearview mirror that contains the core safety, security and connectivity features of OnStar for just about any vehicle.

Their Facebook page had a tool I used to find out that it was available for my car and it also had all of the information I wanted to know about their available services.

So I had it installed in my car (it took 36 minutes from start to finish, so simple) and this is why.

Like most moms, I spend a lot of time in the car with my kids and no other adult.  I love knowing that if anything happens, help will come even if I can't ask for it.  I also like that asking for help is as easy as pushing a button.  If something were to happen and my kids needed to ask for help, they would be able to push that little blue button and talk to a real live person.

I feel like they deserve a real live person in that situation.  In addition to emergency services they also provide roadside assistance.  And I don't even need to know where I am!  They use GPS technology to send help to you.

In the car I use my cell phone for directions and making calls.  Sometimes I forget my cell phone at home.  Sometimes I put my purse on the floor when I am buckling my daughter in her car seat and forget to move it to the front seat.  Sometimes I don't have service on my cell phone at all.  This happened a lot more than I was comfortable with on our last road trip and even happens around the corner from my house.  Not to mention that looking down at my phone, even just for a second, isn't the safest option. The OnStar mirror offers turn by turn directions and handsfree calling options.  Both require absolutely no eye contact.

It is some pretty cool technology.  The speaker is clear and the volume actually adjusts to levels that a human ear can hear.  I can't say either about my husbands GPS or his bluetooth speaker he uses in his car.  I can look up directions on my computer at home and send them to my car in a matter of seconds,  another thing my hubby's GPS can't do.  And my favorite part...real live people.  Nice people.  Friendly people.  They call me Mrs. Albright and they find the nearest Chick-fil-A when we are on our way home from the swimming hole.

The swimming hole and the polite real live people on the phone both sort of feel like they are from the 50s, but both actually exist in my 2011 life.

Check out the OnStar Facebook page to learn more about OnStar FMV or check them out at your local Best Buy.  You can also check out what other bloggers think about OnStar over on BlogHer and if you want to know more about the swimming hole, you will have to come visit me in Austin.