NOTE FROM THE MANIC MOMMIES: Our friends at General Motors asked us to pass along some information about a new feature available through OnStar. Written by Cathy McCormick—a mother of two college students Allison (22) and Kylie (20) and one furry kid Felix the cat (age undisclosed)—she is the OnStar Emergency Services Line Manager. Before Cathy joined OnStar she was the 911 Director for the City of Soutfield Michigan, so she certainly knows something about handling emergency situations.

When Cathy isn’t managing OnStar’s Emergency Services, she is mentoring young women with City Mission Detroit – a program that helps at-risk children in Detroit through mentoring relationships and outreach programs.

Handling Poisoning Situations in your Vehicle
By Cathy McCormick, OnStar Emergency Services Line Manager

Sometimes, getting behind the wheel can be stressful. If you’re like me, you’re constantly on the look out for unsafe drivers and other dangers that can lead to accidents on our streets and freeways. However, OnStar by GM has you covered should the unthinkable happen. It’s the leading provider of in-vehicle safety, security and communication services. OnStar’s nearly 6 million subscribers have access to emergency services that can help save your family in case of an accident on the road.

But did you know that some accidents can happen inside the vehicle? That’s right. Poisoning is second only to motor vehicle crashes as a cause of death from unintentional injury in the United States. And our children and pets are at risk of poison-related incidents INSIDE our vehicles. For example, think about what’s in your purse right now. Chances are you have some items that could be dangerous to your child, such as medication. Or what’s in the grocery bags that you placed on your backseat? Household cleaners can be hazardous to children and pets if swallowed. And if you’ve been shopping at the mall, even those silica gel packets contained in shoeboxes can be toxic. Unlike your home, your car is not a controlled environment and there are many possible dangers that lurk inside. As mothers, we’re very aware of the need to “child-proof” our homes to prevent potential poisoning, but the risks are also present in your vehicle.

So OnStar has come up with a great solution to give you peace of mind. We have partnered with Poison Control to provide access to poison treatment and information while you’re in your vehicle. Statistics show that the majority of poison exposure cases can be taken care of over the telephone. So OnStar subscribers can now be connected with fast and effective instruction from Poison Control with just the touch of their OnStar button.

We’re really excited about this latest enhancement to OnStar’s safety services. We all seem to be spending more time in our cars, transporting the kids to sports practice, music lessons and other activities. So that alone increases the probability of poison-related accidents in our vehicles. We also found that we were receiving at least one call a day from subscribers who wanted to know what to do about potential poisonings involving their children and pets. So that’s how this partnership came about.

It’s just another way that OnStar is there for you.  Visit onstar.com for details and system limitations.