Many cell phone owners have accidentally called someone when a button gets pushed inadvertently. But what if your phone dialed 911? A Florida man has designed something that he said will make sure that never happens again.
Officials in Pinellas County, Fla., said the inadvertent calls could be hazardous to public safety.
"If these calls that are open-line cell phone calls continue to increase, it could get to a point where we are answering calls and it could delay us answering other people's real emergency situations," the county's public education spokeswoman, Lori Buck, said.
In 2003, Pinellas County 911 operators answered 74,000 accidental phone calls. They reported hearing noises like cars, conversations between friends and music -- instead of emergency requests for help.
Most of those calls stemmed from cell phones. That's why the county bought 30,000 button guards that are designed to prevent the 9-key from being hit accidentally on open face cell phones.
On some phones, holding the 9-key can automatically dial, 911.
"Ultimately, we want a rolling blackout of those 40 million cell phones that are problems," Button Guard creator Dale Lissner said.
Lissner created the guards after his wife's phone accidentally and automatically dialed 911.
"Five or six minutes later, we hear the dispatcher talking in her purse. [We] picked it [the cell phone] up and apologized for tying her line up," Lissner said.
Buck has spent $20,000 to make the guards available to Pinellas residents for free. She hopes the call to use the guards gets through to residents so true emergencies get through to 911.
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