Have you ever dialled 999?

[mrmr96]

Following reading this thread, I was wondering what proportion of people on PH have or have not ever called 999.

I have a number of times now I think about it:
1 - Fire in my street
2 - Vandalism/domestic in my street
3 - Suspected drunk driver in Brighton
4 - Suspected drunk driver on M3
5 - Accident, car t-boned into central reservation by lane changer/swerver on A303 (I was right behind the crashed car, so witness too)
6 - Accident, car veered off road into a tree (I was oncoming at the time, so witness too)
7 - Major accident on Mway in opposite direction

(ETA descriptions)

Edited by mrmr96 on Friday 25th September 09:45

[Podie]

Yep, once. Accident on the A14 where a truck and a Micra came together, and the Micra bounced into the central reservation. (Micra driver cut in too early)

[speedchick]

Are we talking just for the police or including all the services?

[Ray Singh]

I have to do this regularly. I test mobile phones and am required to make emergency calls to test that the phone can make them with the keypad locked/no sim etc.

In the UK everything generally goes well. You have to tell them who you are etc, but i tried this in europe once and the BiB turned up with guns. My boss had to phone the plod up and tell them who we were.

[mrmr96]

speedchick said:

Are we talking just for the police or including all the services?

All services. Any reason.

[drivin_me_nuts]

About 6 times.

Last one was just two weeks ago to ask them to remove some thick fkwick of a faecal smear who decided that lying on his back on a dual carriage way at 3am whilst having phone sex with his GF was a good thing to do...

All other times car related - including notifying them of a dozy bint who was cycling down the M23 in the pissing pain in the dark.

Edited by drivin_me_nuts on Friday 25th September 08:30

[Maxf]

Yes, probably a couple of times. The only 1 I remember though was calling the police when I was driving on the M11. There were kids playing on one of the motorway bridges, walking along the guard rail!

[Defcon5]

3 times,

Once to say i was upside down unable to get out of my car on the M62

Once at an RTC (not mine that time though)

Once when I came across a bloke who had stabbed himself (he had had an argument with his other half, and thought it was a good idea at the time)

[Vipers]

Once to say a lorry has shed its load on the M11, and obliviously driving on
Once to tell them there was a wharehouse on fire on the A90
Once to call the firebrigade as my neighbours garage was on fire, followed swiftly by driving my car from my driveway two blocks away

[speedchick]

Hmm about 3 times for ambulances, as for police, once on the M6 when some prat in a white van decided they wanted to be on out bit of tarmac when he came off the slip road (we were actually in the middle lane and they nearly pushed us into the outside lane), phoned it through with his reg and everything, was told to meet the patrol at the next services (Sandbach) to give details. Another one when a prat decided to drive into the wheel arch while on his phone and then proceeded to stop the car and threaten my partner (who was driving), i honestly thought he was going to do something, so called them, they were already watching it on cctv! Probably been a couple of other times too that I can't remember the details of, but have only ever done it for a valid reason and never for cooking instructions/directions or something stupid like that. If I need to call the police about anything else then I take my chances with the number for the local station.

[Scotfox]

Yes several times mainly for my young son who's asthmatic. A couple of times for his mum when she started bleeding badly during pregnancy. Once for my dad when he collapsed at home and once for a passing driver who had a heart attack outside my house.

[parakitaMol.]

- To report a policeman setting fire to his car
- To report a burglary
- To report 3 traffic accidents
- To call an ambulance

[paulmurr]

Only once to report a break in at my in-law's house.

[tribbles]

Twice - within 40 seconds of each other. Both by accident.

First time was when my mobile was beeping at me to turn it off at some ridiculous time in the morning. I didn't realise I had it the wrong way around, and accidentally hit the speed dial I had for 999. Thinking I had turned it off, I went to go back to sleep, and heard "Caller, can you hear me?". I apologised, and hung up,

And I did it immediately again (although realised in time).

I removed that speed dial.

[Muzzer]

Once, when some stupid bint drove into the back of me on the M1.

I only called them as the was debris on the carriageway.

People phoning 999 un-necessarily really annoys me and mine was one of those times when I wasn't sure if it qualified as an emergency (the traffic was slow because of the accident, no-one was going to hit anything in the near future)

[illmonkey]

Went to see someone doing a night shift after dinner with some friends. Walking upto a crossing on a round about, not paying attention, we hear a bang, then all turn and see a car slide across the road, hit the curb, bounce on a railing and flip over. Luckily a newish car so it held up. We all took our tops off and laid them down on the glass in the car so the lady crawled out.

If we were 10 seconds ahead of our selfs, the car would of rolled on us. It was also a fairly cold night. The accident was no more than 20mph and was possibly the worst outcome of her car getting hit, ever.

Had to call 999 to report the accident.

[Salsera]

First time to report a car fire in the car park next to our house, the fire brigade rook forever to turn up. When they arrived it turned out that some little scrote was going round tourching red cars all over Horsham and Crawley and they were streatched to their limit.
Second time to report a suspected stolen MX5 that had pulled up next to me at the traffic lights, reason we suspected it was stolen... smoke was pouring out of the bonnet and the young "lads" driving seemed completely unconcerned as they took off at about 80 down a duel carrage way.
Third time to report a bunch of kids who were playing chicken on a busy duel carrage way.

[XJSJohn]

I picked more than 4 but TBH have lost count.

Used to live in Talgarth Mansions, Barons Court and the amount of nasty high speed accidents that would happen on our doorstep was stupid.

Also several calls to report accidents that had just happened infront / behind me on the road.

Once to report that we had caught some scrotes who were breakinbg into my car and that we had "made citizens arrests"

Once when the mad crack junky lady living next to us went mental and broke into our flat ... (moved out of there prety fast, shame as it was a nice flat otherwise)

and my first ever time calling 999 - Dad put the (petrol) mower in the shed and some sort of petrol leak onto something hot caused the whole lot (assisted by a few spare jerry cans of petrol for Mower and OB Moter) went WHOOOOF!!!

[james_tigerwoods]

Once - Drunk guy walking on the B1188 between Lincoln and Sleaford as he was in the twisty bit and I saw a car nearly hit him. I drove back that way about half an hour later to see 3 police cars and a Van attending the scene.

[Mx_Stu]

Once - I was walking along when a car pulling into turning paid no attention to the chap on a bike and drove straight into him. He was screaming and sounding like he was in real pain so without thinking I called for an ambulance. As soon as I got off the phone the cyclist got up and dusted himself down and walked away.