According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a vehicle is stolen every 32 seconds. In 2022, the NHTSA reported a 25 percent increase in vehicle thefts within the United States over the past few years, resulting in more than one million vehicles stolen by thieves with a value of more than $8 billion.1 Unfortunately, auto-theft numbers continue to rise this year, despite public safety’s efforts to combat vehicle crime and warn vehicle owners of the increased threat.
With National Vehicle Theft Prevention Month upon us, we want to remind law enforcement of the OnStar Stolen Vehicle Assistance2 technologies available to help recover stolen vehicles quicker and more safely.
OnStar has nearly 14 million connected vehicles across the United States and Canada.
When taking a stolen-vehicle report involving a General Motors product, law enforcement should ALWAYS CALL ONSTAR as early as possible with the vehicle identification number (VIN) to determine whether there is an active connection. The dedicated OnStar public safety number is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 866-866-5006. The call will only take a couple of moments. If there is a connection, OnStar can save hours and even days of investigation time to help recover the vehicle. If there is no connection, then only a couple minutes will have been lost to a quick phone call with OnStar.
Once OnStar verifies with law enforcement that the vehicle is being treated as stolen, the Advisor will provide the vehicle’s location and direction of travel while also explaining the available technologies to assist with a quicker and safer recovery, including:
It is important to point out that visual confirmation does not require law enforcement to be right behind the stolen vehicle when requesting that it be slowed down. For example, it can be running idle across the street or in a parking lot. Simply confirm the stolen vehicle is in sight and conditions are safe to send the Stolen Vehicle Slowdown signal, and this will prevent the vehicle from accelerating. Eliminate the risk of a pursuit before it occurs!
The three recent stolen vehicle incidents below highlight how OnStar has assisted law enforcement in recovering stolen vehicles quicker and more safely:
- Fruitland PD, the Dorchester County Sheriffs’ Office and the Maryland State Police collaborated with OnStar and used technology to help quickly capture a violent carjacking suspect on Vienna Bridge.
- Check out how the Michigan State Police leveraged OnStar last month to slow down a stolen vehicle driven by a dangerous underage suspect.
- After learning a stolen vehicle had OnStar, Rochester PD in New York requested the location of the vehicle as well as Stolen Vehicle Slowdown to aid in the apprehension of four suspects and vehicle recovery – all in less than 18 minutes of contacting OnStar.
To learn more about the OnStar Stolen Vehicle Assistance process, visit www.onstar.com/publicsafety.
- National Highway Traffic Safety Association. (2023). Vehicle Theft Prevention. https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/vehicle-theft-prevention
- Requires paid plan, working electrical system, cell reception, GPS signal, armed GM factory-installed theft-deterrent system, contact method on file and enrollment to receive alerts. Additional messaging and data rates may apply. Services are intended to assist with vehicle recovery and do not prevent theft or protect against damage or loss. See onstar.com for details and limitations.
