Emergency Cell Phones
Along the freeways of Southern California, emergency phones line up at each mile post. As a young college student, I got stranded when my car broke down. I was scared to death. I had visions of some questionable character stopping and offering a ride. That would place me in a dilemma, because if I went, he might hurt me. If I stayed behind, I might never get help.
Wishing for Mobile Phones
That night, I walked off the freeway and called a friend who came and picked me up. I was safe. I never used the phones on the freeway because I had heard you don’t get good service. I also saved the cost of a tow truck because my friend pushed my car off the road. I vowed that night that if phones ever became available to purchase, I would be the first in line to get my mobile phone.
Unlike people with more money in their pockets, I never got my first cell phone until 1996. I had waited a long time. Now, I could feel safe driving my car. I knew that if it ever broke down in my car again, I would have the cell phone to call for a tow truck or a friend.
Great for Any Emergency, Cell Phones Come of Age
Perhaps, that is one of the secret draw of cell phones that no one will ever admit—the ability to have access to services in the middle of nowhere. For women alone, cell phones offer a lot of comfort in a big world. We think of them as emergency cell phones.
Emergency services once were only accessible by police radio or your local telephone. In those days your only option was to dial 911. Don’t get me wrong. That service continues to be a great option. But you can’t take it out on the road with you. In years past, you had to know your precise location when you called emergency services from a cell phone because they didn’t have any way to track cell phones. Now, modern computer upgrades have given most emergency centers the ability to track the exact locations of cell phones, when users call an emergency into the center.
Parents also have good uses for cell phones. If they do not want to give their kids a cell phone just so they can spend all day talking to their friends while they run up the bill, they can give them a cell phone with limited use. Most cell phone companies offer parents the option of a phone that only calls 911 and parent phones and caregivers. The fee is usually offered for a small monthly charge on the parents’ cell phone bill.
Imagine a child walking home from school and someone tries to entice them into a car. The child pulls out his cell phone and calls the police. The criminal leaves the area. Children are no longer easy to entice as they once may have been.
Driving down the freeway during rush hour traffic can be very stressful. Cars weave in and out seemingly without any regard to the safety of everyone else around them. Suddenly, you see a crash in front of you. Luckily, you miss being involved, but you know people may be hurt and in need of urgent medical care. You pull over to the side of the road and call 911 from you cell phone. In an instant, ambulances and fire trucks are dispatched to the scene of the accident. Help will arrive within minutes thanks to you and your emergency cell phone.
Here is another scenario. Unfortunately, it could easily be real. You are driving on the road and cut someone off in the lane by you. He gets mad and decides to follow you. You glance in your rear view mirror to see a shaking fist and an angry glare. You know stopping would be a bad idea, but this guy won’t give up because he is so determined to give you a piece of his mind. In his angered state, you never know what else he may have in mind. Get out the cell phone and call the police. This is one time they will forgive you for talking and driving at the same time.
The police arrive at the scene and talk the guy out of his anger. Okay, so you got a ticket for improper lane change. That’s a pretty small price to pay for being safe from harm.
Cell phones are here to stay and emergency cell phone use will continue to rise as more and more people have access to the personal air waves. Now, cell phones equipped with cameras give people even more uses for emergencies. They can now be a silent witness at a crime scene.