GM FYI Blog

By Alan Adler
Manager, Product Safety Communications

Typically, a Texas rainstorm that dumps three or four inches of rain in a single morning would be bad news for an outdoor event like the GM Continuous Safety Tour. But aside from dumping water from the top of the canopy over our displays and huddling toward the center of the canopy to stay dry ourselves, this was a great development.

Out in Parking Lot No. 8 of the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, the sheets of rain made the ride-and-drive demonstrations just that much better. Typically, we use a few bags of sand around the traffic cones to create the slippery conditions that make the StabiliTrak electronic stability control kick in on the GMC Acadia. But water is a lot better for showing the technology that most experts say is second only to safety belts for life-saving effectiveness. On the other side of the parking lot, two Cadillac CTS models equipped with a dedicated radio frequency that allow them to wirelessly communicate with each other went through their paces, the automatic braking feature all the more dramatic on the rain-slick surface.

A lot of people are surprised to learn of GM’s long history with crash-test dummies. The centerpiece under the canopy consists of five dummies, including one dating to 1946 nicknamed Sierra Sam, whose condition suggests his age. He’s been out of circulation since the early ‘50s, not surprising since his job was to test parachutes by being tossed out of airplanes high above the New Mexico desert. The dummies through time display shows how today’s highly instrumented anthropomorphic test devices – that’s the formal name for crash-test dummies – are designed to take the hits for us in a vehicle crash. They illustrate that every crash actually consists of two crashes – whatever the vehicle hits and whatever you hit inside the vehicle.

Another thing we’re demonstrating at this year’s event is a new feature from OnStar called Automatic Advanced Crash Notification. Most people know that OnStar can place an emergency phone call when an air bag deploys. But the new system ends certain crash data to the OnStar advisor – even when no air bag goes off – that allows the advisor to get specific information to first responders more quickly.

Our vehicles automatically do a few other things after a crash – such as turning on perimeter lighting, unlocking at least one door on each side of the vehicle and shutting off the blower motor to the heater or air conditioner, which can help keep an a post-crash fire from reaching the side of the vehicle.

Our Safety Tour, now in its second year, has become a showcase for GM’s unique safety positioning – protection before, during and after a crash. Of course, everyone’s preference is to avoid a crash, and, not surprisingly, crash-avoidance technologies like StabiliTrak and Vehicle to Vehicle Communication are the big hits with invited guests and news media alike.

Even in the rain.