- Police: Florida teen smashes coffee pot on mom's head after she's caught with a boy
- Flooding unearths coffins in South Carolina
- Student battling cancer gets sweet surprise from homecoming date
- New reports explain how quadruple amputee allegedly shot, killed parents
- Why you're probably washing your clothes wrong
You may be calling 911 from your pocket without realizing it.
According to a new study reported by the BBC, a research team discovered that butt-dial calls coming into 911 call centers are leaving 911 operators with the dilemma of having to determine whether the call is accidental or is an actual emergency.
The research showed that 30 percent of calls coming in from cell phones were accidental butt-dials with handlers having to sit with the call for an average of one minute and 14 seconds in order to determine if someone is in distress or not, BBC reports. The survey was conducted in San Francisco, where 911 operators surveyed said a large part of their day was spent calling the numbers back in order to make sure to make sure no one needs assistance, according to BBC.
"If my anecdotal experiences are remotely accurate," FCC Commissioner Michael O'Reilly wrote, "it would mean that approximately 84 million 911 calls a year are pocket-dials. This is a huge waste of resources, raises the cost of providing 911 services, depletes morale, and increases the risk that legitimate 911 calls - and first responders - will be delayed."
The FCC estimated that 50 percent of the incoming 911 calls in New York were from butt-dials, the BBC reports.
Read more at the BBC.
About the Author
