Problems with immobilizing stolen vehicles

By: Drivers.com staff

Date: Monday, 19. November 2007

OnStar estimates 95% of their subscribers would want the Stolen Vehicle Slowdown service. The service would first locate a stolen vehicle then, once police have established a line of sight, Onstar would send a remote signal that causes the powertrain to reduce power to the wheels.

It's an improvement over other anti-theft immobilization technologies which have had legal problems just about everywhere. The consequences of interfering with a vehicle while it is in motion (perhaps turning across traffic, merging into fast traffic or overtaking) could be tragic , so putting remote control in the hands of owners or untrained agents of businesses is banned in many countries.

In South Africa, for example, more than 13,000 trucks and cars are hjacked every year. However, under south African law, vehicles registered for the first time after July 1, 1990, may not be operated on a public road if they have an antitheft device that in any way interferes with the braking system.

In Australia, CarTrak can locate a stolen vehicle but is allowed to shut down the engine only under police direction.

However, the benefits of the OnStar system will likely be seen as outweighing the risks in America. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calculates that about 30,000 police chases occur there every year, resulting in approximately 300 deaths.