General Motors Corp. announced on Wednesday the creation of "SenseAble driving," a new safety initiative designed to help reduce the risk of driver distraction while enhancing vehicle technology and safety. GM Chairman Jack Smith, who kicked off the program Convergence, said the effort, which combines technology, research, and education, "will identify new ways to improve technology, while at the same time raise public awareness about the dangers posed by the wide variety of distractions faced by drivers."

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an estimated 25% of the 6.3 million crashes reported by police each year involving some form of driver distraction. Recent reports of highway tragedies involving drivers using hand-held cell phones have heightened concerns about the issue.

The research and technology portions of the three-year, multi-million-dollar GM program have already begun. The educational components will start this fall with a special pilot in the state of Michigan. In addition to educational materials distributed through offices of Michigan's Secretary of State, GM will launch public service announcements, advertisements, an interactive computer exercise on driver-distraction risks, and educational materials for dealers and customers. Following Michigan's six-month pilot program, there are plans to roll out the program across more states, Smith said.

"We have always believed that as far as driver distraction is concerned, OnStar is part of the solution," said Mark Hogan, president of e-GM. "With OnStar, we have prioritized safety, and we will continue to do so." The GM subsidiary is a provider of in-vehicle safety, security, and information services and is completely integrated into the vehicle. New OnStar features for the 2001 model year include Personal Calling, which allows subscribers to use speech recognition technology to place hands-free, voice-activated calls -- reducing distractions.

GM is the world's only automaker to announce a set of "guiding principles" to govern the design and use of telematics technology in its vehicles, according to the company. The SenseAble driving' campaign will help GM "manage the rapid pace of technology by assuring that our choices are guided, at every step of the way, by rigorous research, complemented by education," Smith said.