“Have you had an accident? This is the message that appears on the screen of some mobile phones when they detect a sudden movement. After 20 seconds, if this message is left unanswered, a call to 911 is triggered. These involuntary calls, commonly called pocket callsclog up the emergency call network in Quebec.
What there is to know
The Quebec City Police Department deplores the phenomenon of accidental calls, commonly called pocket calls.
They represent 39% of the calls received by the 911 service of the City of Quebec, or some 750 calls per day.
The CAUCA centre, responsible for processing emergency calls from 560 municipalities, is a victim of the same phenomenon.
Activities like downhill skiing or a roller coaster ride can trigger an accidental call.
THE pocket calls, as their English name suggests, most often occur when cell phones are in the owner’s pocket. At the 911 emergency call center of the Service de police de la Ville de Québec (SPVQ), 39% of the calls received are accidental calls, which is equivalent to 750 daily calls, reveals a press release issued by the City. These more than 22,000 calls per month are triggered by the “Accident Detection” option of the latest models of iPhone, Android and Apple Watch devices.
The story is similar to CAUCA, a call center responsible for handling emergency calls from 560 municipalities in Quebec, including Saint-Hyacinthe and Drummondville. For the past two months, 50% of the calls received have been accidental calls. Again, this represents some 750 daily calls.
“The consequences of these calls are numerous and have a real impact on the call response time for real emergencies,” said David Poitras, spokesperson for the SPVQ, in a press release.
Sensitive devices
Ordinary activities, such as downhill skiing or riding a roller coaster, when performed with a phone in your pocket or a smartwatch on your wrist, can trigger the “Accident Detection” option. This option has been put in place to quickly notify the authorities of car accidents. But it is also responsible for 1,500 daily involuntary calls to the 911 services of the SPVQ and CAUCA.
The most capricious devices would be the Apple Watch, says CAUCA communications director Marie-Andrée Giroux. Unlike iPhone and Android phones, which dial 911 when the device receives a sudden shock, Apple Watches call emergencies when voice assistant Siri decides. Other stimuli, like noise, may be enough for Siri to trigger a call to the authorities.
“Once there was someone watching television. In the show, a character shouted: “Call 911!“Then the watch called 911! “says M.me Giroux, exasperated.
” Do not hang up ! »
What to do when you realize that you have made an accidental call? “Please, if you make a pocket call, do not hang up ! implores Marie-Andrée Giroux. We must call back 100% of people who hang up. In addition to leaving the emergency service in the dark, the action of hanging up wastes even more time for respondents. The best solution is to tell the responder that it is a false alarm, says Mme Giroux.
Due to accidental calls, the CAUCA team has to answer twice as many calls. “We receive 600,000 calls a year. That means we could eliminate 300,000 calls a year,” explains Ms.me Giroux.
In the meantime, 911 emergency services must hire more staff to be able to respond to all calls effectively, a difficult task in times of labor shortages, according to Ms.me Giroux.
Avoid accidental calls
Both at the SPVQ and at CAUCA, citizens are asked to deactivate the “Accident detection” option in their telephone settings in order to prevent involuntary calls. Avoiding wearing the device during intense activities is also a valid option, adds Mr.me Giroux.
The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal has noticed the presence of the phenomenon of accidental calls on the island of Montreal, but has not quantified it.
iPhone 14 and 14 Pro, with the latest version of the iOS operating system, and Apple Watch Series 8, SE (2e generation) and Ultra, with the latest version of watchOS, are responsible for accidental calls to 911. Newer Android models are also to blame.
More than 9 out of 10 Canadians own a cell phone, according to a recent report by the Media Technology Monitor.