john@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (John Higdon) (05/27/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0176m08@vector.dallas.tx.us>, intercon!kdb@uunet.uu. net writes: > I have had several occasions to use 911 from my cell phone. On all of them I > might as well have not called. On the other hand, one of the most satisfying calls I ever made in my life was to 911. I was driving I5 to Los Angeles, about 50 miles north of Grapevine. Traffic was relatively light. As I approached a slow-moving vehicle in the right lane, I prepared to move momentarily to the left to pass. Suddenly, the other car sped up and when the driver realized that his increase in speed would not in any way prevent my passing him, he suddenly veered into the left lane, forcing me into the median strip. When I got back onto the roadway, I approached him again (he was poking along at around 40 MPH) and he sped up again. This time I backed off and watched as another motorist tried to pass him and got the same response that I had earlier. That did it. I picked up the phone and dialed 911. It was the Bakersfield system that responded and I was connected to the CHP, the initial call handling agency. I described the car and its actions and location. Not five minutes later, two CHP cruisers zipped onto the highway, and off in the distance I could see the gentleman being forced to the side of the road. You talk about instant gratification! In article <telecom-v09i0175m04@vector.dallas.tx.us>, ron@ron.rutgers.edu (Ron Natalie) writes: > The more interesting question is which 911 operator you get > when you dial 911 from a cellular phone, since the cellular > coverage areas almost always span more than one 911-service > area. > > My guess is that it's just handled by the MTS operator. In California, or at least in the San Francisco area, the calls from both cellular providers are handled by the CHP. The operator asks for your mobile number (they don't see it on a display), your location, and type of emergency you are reporting. You are then connected to the appropriate agency. The calls are free of all charges. *All* mobile telephones are allowed to call 911, regardless of roaming or service status. You can even call 911 with a test NAM in your radio. -- John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.uucp | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o !
childers@decwrl.dec.com (Richard Childers) (06/08/89)
decwrl!apple!zygot!john@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (John Higdon) writes: >When I got back onto the roadway, I approached him again (he was poking >along at around 40 MPH) and he sped up again. This time I backed off >and watched as another motorist tried to pass him and got the same >response that I had earlier. That did it. I picked up the phone and >dialed 911. It was the Bakersfield system that responded and I was >connected to the CHP, the initial call handling agency. Yup, a real emergency there. >I described the car and its actions and location. Not five minutes >later, two CHP cruisers zipped onto the highway, and off in the >distance I could see the gentleman being forced to the side of the >road. You talk about instant gratification! Talk about juvenile power trips. You could have waited a few minutes to get past him. This sounds like an infantile power trip. Instant gratification, indeed. -- richard * "We must hang together, gentlemen ... else, we shall most assuredly * * hang separately." Benjamin Franklin, 1776 * * * * ..{amdahl|decwrl|octopus|pyramid|ucbvax}!avsd.UUCP!childers@tycho *
jad@dayton.dhdsc.mn.org (J. Deters) (06/09/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0190m06@vector.dallas.tx.us> Richard Childers <avsd!childers@decwrl.dec.com> writes: >>(story about a reckless driver and a call to the CHP deleted) >Yup, a real emergency there. >>(more story deleted) >Talk about juvenile power trips. You could have waited a few minutes to >get past him. This sounds like an infantile power trip. >Instant gratification, indeed. >-- richard Around here, the state patrol advertises 911 as the number to dial to report drunk and/or dangerous drivers. They have appeared on the local news saying how cellular phones have helped catch drunk drivers. (Our state is in the middle of a 'drunk-driver crackdown'). I think that malicious drivers should be reported, and there is no way to do anything about it once you are off the road. Cellular phones are great for just this sort of thing. If you want to drive like a jerk, cellular phones give you more incentive not to. Of course, now everyone is going to start calling in speeders, too. :-( -john