iPhone

[GLC1968]

I witnessed a car accident a couple of years ago and called 911. Thankfully the person was fine, but I didn't know that when I placed the call. I must've gone through at least five minutes of dispatchers giving me grief because 911 had connected me to the wrong jurisdiction for the location I happened to be in. I wasn't home and had no idea where the county and township and municipal boundaries might be or what agency I "should" have called.


But it's true - when you're home, the only time it might be an issue is when there's no one capable of telling the dispatcher your physical location. That's a real possibility, but it's also a small subset of 911 calls.

And the flip side of that is if no one had cell phones, how long would it have taken for someone to call 911 in that situation?

[OakLeaf]

And the flip side of that is if no one had cell phones, how long would it have taken for someone to call 911 in that situation?

Oh, I wasn't saying don't have a phone! I don't go anywhere without mine, I've said before IMO it's kind of irresponsible in this day and age. I'm just talking about the reliability of 911 connections (and I'm pretty sure the GPS location does NOT happen when the initial connection to the dispatcher is made - I think it's just something they can get from the phone company if they can't locate the person).

Years ago I made that other call too. I was just a mile from an exit when I saw the car flip in the oncoming lanes, and there was a gas station with a pay phone right there, so I was probably connected to the 911 dispatcher quicker than the time I called from my car ... but I get that it could've been the other way around too.


I've got a landline because the only internet available to me at home is DSL. I don't think you can get that without a voice line too, but I could be wrong.

[GLC1968]

Oh, I wasn't saying don't have a phone!

Oh, I know! My comment wasn't supposed to be directed at you...just adding additional commentary!

I had a similar situation when I was in HS. I was on my way to a friends house on a Friday night and I drove by a car that was completely wrapped around a tree. It was on a dark, curvy road where there were very few houses and there was no one around the accident scene at all. I immediately felt panic and of course, this was long before cell phones (or PC's...but who's counting?). I continued on my route because there was a pay phone at the end of the road near the library that I could use. Turns out, before I got there, a bunch of cops with lights and sirens went flying by me, so I figured they'd already been notified. I found out on Monday that the guy was a fellow students father who had fallen asleep at the wheel. He survived, but based on what I saw, I can't imagine how. Scary.

We used to keep a land line for internet when we lived in NC, but we haven't had one since we moved out here 3.5 years ago (cable internet now).

Oh, and personally, I think my smartphone gives me more privacy. I get to choose when I answer it or not. With a land line, there was no 'silent' switch.