Responding to vehicle crashes quickly and efficiently can mean the difference between life and death. General Motors announced on September 16 that its Advanced Automatic Crash Notification (AACN) system is available on a dozen new 2005 GM models equipped with OnStar's in-vehicle safety and communications system. AACN, an industry first, makes emergency information available to 911 centers so that they can send the appropriate life-saving personnel and equipment to crash scenes faster. Using a collection of sensors, AACN automatically calls an OnStar advisor if the vehicle is involved in a qualified frontal, rear or side-impact crash, regardless of air bag deployment. AACN provides crash severity information to OnStar advisors, who relay it to 911 dispatchers. AACN systems can determine the severity of crash, direction of impact, air bags deployed, multiple impacts and rollover (if equipped with appropriate sensors). GM's AACN system is available on a broad range of OnStar-equipped GM vehicles ranging from small sedans through sport/utility and luxury series vehicles, including the 2005 Buick Rainier; Cadillac STS; Chevrolet Malibu, Malibu Maxx, Cobalt, TrailBlazer and TrailBlazer EXT; GMC Envoy, Envoy XUV and Envoy XL; Pontiac G6; and the Saab 9-7X. GM will continue to roll out AACN on additional GM models in the coming years. OnStar receives approximately 700 air bag notifications each month. "We know that shortening the time to treatment by EMS and trauma physicians can make a big difference in survival and recovery," said Jeffrey W. Runge, M.D., administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "This technology should result in better response times after a crash when traveling in less populated areas, and more accurate information to EMS dispatchers even in the city." Traffic safety and emergency medical experts say AACN may be especially important in rural areas, where there may not be a passerby to report a crash and few local hospitals equipped to treat the kinds of injuries sustained in severe crashes. Sixty percent of the nation's fatalities are in rural areas, even though rural areas account for only 20 percent of the total annual crashes. OnStar, with more than 2.7 million subscribers, is available on more than 50 models from General Motors and is the nation's leading provider of in-vehicle safety, security and information services using the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite network and wireless technology.