Have you accidentally called 911 recently? You're not alone.
The York Regional Police Communications Centre has seen a significant increase in unintentional 911 calls, according to police.
So far this year, accidental 911 calls have increased by almost 50 per cent. The month of May saw the largest increase, with calls increasing by 79 per cent over May 2022, police said in a news release.
The majority of unintentional 911 calls come from "pocket dials" or kids playing with phones, police said.
Pocket dials happen when a mobile device that is not locked is carried in a pocket, purse, backpack or other piece of clothing and the keypad is accidentally activated, causing the emergency call.
York Regional Police say they have also seen a rise in 911 calls that appear related to an update on phones using the Android OS the activates an emergency SOS feature.
The calls, which can easily be prevented, tie up crucial communications resources that should be dedicated to emergency situations.
"With every unintentional call received, precious seconds may be taken away from someone who really needs help," police said.
Many 911 calls occur when young children are given old cellphones to play with as toys. Police said even an old, inactive device with the SIM card removed can dial 911.
Police are urging the public to not only "lock it before you pocket it," but also to not allow children to play with mobile phones.
Phone users can prevent pocket dials by locking their keypads when pocketing their phones, refraining from programming a wireless device to automatically dial 911, or turning off the 911 auto-dial feature if their mobile devices have one.
Anyone who realizes they have unintentionally called 911 should stay on the line to let the emergency operator know it was a pocket dial or unintentional call, police said.
This will eliminate the need for the emergency operator to call back and spend valuable time determining if there is a legitimate emergency.
A video addressing this ongoing issue is available for viewing at the following link.
