(July 2009) If you thought General Motors' OnStar system was mainly for getting directions or asking for help when stranded on the side of the road, think again.

The in-vehicle safety and communications system has launched a new service to keep car thieves from starting a vehicle that has been reported stolen, according to a report by Automotive News.

It's called "remote ignition block."

Here's how it works. If your vehicle is stolen and you have reported it to the police you can request assistance from OnStar, which sends a signal that prevents the car from restarting. OnStar President Chet Huber told Automotive News that as of Monday, three stolen cars had been disabled by the technology.

"We said: 'What if we could prevent the high-speed chase? What if we could actually reach into the car before the bad guys had a chance to run out and do something bad with it.'"

The feature is available on select 2009 and 2010 GM models.