NEW YORK — OnStar by General Motors was awarded the "Good Buy" Award from the Good Housekeeping Institute (GHI) on December 13. OnStar is the first service ever acknowledged in GHI´s new "best service" category. This is the first time any automotive product or service has been become an award winner since the "Good Buy" award program began ten years ago. "The Good Buy" Awards acknowledge innovations in technology, affordability for Good Housekeeping´s 4.6 million readers, and that perform well in Institute tests. "We feel that OnStar can be a real lifeline to help consumers survive the perils on the road", said John Kupsch, Technical Director of the Good Housekeeping Institute. OnStar technology provides a direct connection to help in an emergency and will automatically send a signal to an OnStar Advisor when an airbag deploys, and the OnStar Advisor will contact emergency services if the driver is unable to respond. OnStar has also extended its services into collaborations with critical community-based organizations such as the American Red Cross and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. These outreach services include on-site support for hurricane victims and relief workers and encourage subscribers to be Good Samaritans in emergency situations to help locate missing and abducted children. OnStar was the first technology and service of its kind to achieve a broad-based, proven platform, including General Motors´ Advanced Automatic Crash Notification (AACN) system. 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 severity of crash, direction of impact, air bags deployed, multiple impacts and rollover (if vehicle is equipped with appropriate sensors), all critical information that can help shorten treatment time by EMS and trauma physicians and can make a difference in survival and recovery. Each month on average, OnStar receives about 700 airbag notifications and 11,000 emergency assistance calls, which include 4,000 Good Samaritan calls for a variety of emergency situations. In addition, each month OnStar advisors respond to an average of 500 stolen vehicle location requests, 20,000 requests for roadside assistance, 36,000 remote door-unlock requests and 19,000 GM Goodwrench remote diagnostics requests. OnStar is available factory-installed on more than 50 GM models - ranging from small sedans through trucks, SUVs and luxury sedans.