The catchy song "Call Me. Call Me Anytime" was popular years before in-vehicle cell phone usage became as common a habit as turning on the car radio.

"The number of cell phones in the U.S. has grown from 5 million in 1990 to more than 100 million today, and 85% of all cell-phone subscribers report that they use a cell phone while driving," Jack Smith, Chairman of the Board of General Motors Corp., said during a Convergence 2000 keynote speech.

Concerns over driver distractions have prompted legislators in several states to introduce 100-plus bills since 1995 aimed at cell-phone usage in moving vehicles. The National Traffic Administration has addressed the topic via public forum. "The time for the industry to be proactive in understanding the real causes and effects of driver distraction and in educating the public on safe and proper use of telematics technologies is now," Smith said.

To take a pro-active approach to driver distraction, Smith announced that this fall GM begins expanding the services provided by OnStar, a factory-installed telematics system on 32 of GM's 54 U.S. vehicle models. OnStar is now available on Saab vehicles and is the service for Lexus Link -- being introduced on the 2001 Lexus LS 430 sedan -- as well as the service for the 2002 Acura RL.

In addition to emergency service assistance, tracking a stolen vehicle, unlocking doors for vehicle owners and the like, OnStar will add Personal Calling, which simplifies drivers' placing and receiving of calls, and Virtual Advisor, which enables the retrieval of personalized web-based information. Activation of Personal Calling and Virtual Advisor is by one button, followed by voice commands. There is no keypad, no handset, and no screen to watch, so it's "eyes on the road, hands on the wheel," said Smith, adding, "We won't offer anything in a vehicle that can't be used safely and simply."

Personal Calling and Virtual Advisor use an embedded 3-W phone that ties to a 3-dbd antenna. "We expect subscriptions to OnStar's Personal Calling to make us the country's largest reseller of cellular phone time," said Smith.