U.S. Senators Introduce Safe Vehicle Access For Survivors Act

As modern vehicles become increasingly more connected, advanced infotainment and telematics systems can offer users enhanced convenience – as well as potential avenues for misuse. Abusers have exploited these features to track and control survivors of domestic violence, raising serious safety concerns. To address this issue, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Congressman Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) have introduced the Safe Vehicle Access for Survivors Act, a bipartisan bill designed to curb the potential misuse of connected vehicle technology.

Many modern vehicles, including GM models, offer remote-access features that allow users to monitor the vehicle location, start or disable a car, and access other telematics data. Unfortunately, this technology can also be weaponized by abusers to track or control domestic abuse survivors.

The Safe Vehicle Access for Survivors Act seeks to curb this type of abuse by mandating that automakers provide clear instructions on how survivors can remove an abuser’s access to vehicle services, as well as process any request swiftly and without unnecessary fees while maintaining confidentiality to protect survivors’ privacy. The Safe Vehicle Access for Survivors Act has garnered support from domestic violence advocacy groups and the automotive industry, including the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a D.C.-based lobby group of which GM is a part.

“Thank you to Representatives Dingell and Crenshaw for teaming up to provide needed protections to domestic violence survivors who are being stalked or harassed through connected vehicle services. That’s a misuse of this technology and entirely unacceptable,” said Senior Vice President of Policy, Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Hilary Cain. “Last year, automakers urged policymakers to pass a vehicle-specific law to safeguard domestic violence survivors from abuse via connected vehicle technology. And that’s exactly what this bipartisan bill does.”

As GM Authority covered last year, all 2025-model year GM vehicles are now equipped with additional OnStar features as standard via the new OnStar Basics package, including Automatic Crash Response, remote vehicle commands, navigation, and voice assistance. The features are included for eight years with every new vehicle purchase.