Accidental cell phone calls, commonly known as "butt dials", are wreaking havoc on the place that normally deals with real accidents: 9-1-1 call centers.
Research from Winbourne Consulting shows 9-1-1 centers are overwhelmed by calls from someone accidentally hitting the 'Emergency' call button on their phone.
"In New York City, there are about 10,000 accidental 9-1-1 calls a day which obviously really add up," notes The Daily editor Jebediah Reed.
It adds up because police are dispatched by 9-1-1 operators who can't rule out something's really wrong on the other end.
"The call will go to a 9-1-1 operator who will then hear an open line and it's very hard to tell sometimes whether there's an emergency," Reed explains.
The FCC has stepped in, advising people to lock their keypads and turn off the 9-1-1 auto-dial feature.
If you call 9-1-1 by accident, by all means, stay on the line.
"The worst thing to do is to hang up," Reed says. "You want to talk to the operator, you want to tell them 'I did this by accident'".
Phone manufacturers are also changing setups so that pocket dials are less likely to occur.
TXT 24
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