Calling 911 when You Are on the Road

Emergencies happen when least expected. Often times they happen while on the road or away from home. The only phone available to use to call for help is a cell phone. For emergency use, cell phones can literally help to save a life, if you know what you should do when using them.

When you use a cell phone to call for help, it is important to be able to give the dispatcher a location as to where you are. You need to try to give the dispatcher street coordinates to describe your location. If you tell the dispatcher that you are "two miles south of Joe's pond", the dispatcher may not have a clue as to where that is. You need to give more specific directions such as, "two miles south of County Road 10 on 200 North" . This is much more specific and will help the dispatcher get help to you faster.

Another very important thing you need to know when calling for help using a cell phone is that when you call, you may not reach the local 911 center. Cell phone signals bounce off of towers and when you dial 911, you will reach the nearest 911 center to the tower that your call bounces off of. You may actually reach an emergency department that is several counties away. Don't fret though, if you give the proper information to describe your location, the dispatcher will know how to get help to you as quickly as possible.

Be sure you give the dispatcher your cell phone number when you call. Even with the technology of today, cell phone signals are not perfect everywhere. Signals are lost and calls can be dropped. If this were to happen, the dispatcher can attempt to call you right back. This is really important if you have a prepaid cell phone. If the call is lost, the dispatcher will have no way of obtaining the cell phone number if it is a prepaid phone, therefore; would have to rely solely on you to regain contact to provide emergency assistance.

It is recommended by The Red Cross to learn the designated emergency numbers in your state for highway and interstate accidents and emergencies. I recommend programing that number into your contact list for easy access and use. However, do not program your phone to automatically dial 911 because this may result in unintentional calls to 911. If your phone is pre-programmed with automatic 911 dialing, turn it off.

Just as with any emergency call you make, you will be asked several questions. Please be sure to try to answer the questions as completely as possible. You will be asked questions such as, where are you, what happened, how many people are there, how many are injured. If it is an accident that you are calling about, you will probably be asked how many vehicles are involved. Remember to stay on the phone with the dispatcher until you are told to hang up.

In conclusion, cell phones can be potential life saving devices if they are used wisely. Remember to give the dispatcher the most accurate information that you can to describe your location. Give the dispatcher your cell phone number so he or she has a number to reach you in case the call gets dropped. Answer all calls the best that you can so the dispatcher can send the appropriate amount of help to the scene. Using these simple guidelines can help you potentially save a life.