Calgarians refuse to call 911 for accidents

[Jetsfan]

Police say too many Calgarians are driving right past serious incidents and simply ignoring them.


They point to a couple of recent traffic collisions where drivers have even swerved around bodies in the road, but haven't bothered to pick up a phone and report it.

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/loc...ub=CalgaryHome

[HPLovecraft]

Some people feel the need to never, ever get involved in a city. It's disgusting to see people ignore others in peril because they're too afraid to create waves.

Is this Canada or New York?!

[jar_e]

It always amazed me working up for Public Safety Communications for the city that how sometimes, the biggest calls were only from one caller, who presumed someone else phoned and just wanted to make sure.

Pretty disturbing though...with the amount of cell phones people have it literally takes <3 minutes to do, it's pretty damn easy.

[BlackArcher101]

All this deducted from one or two incidents?

Seems like they are using a big paint brush.

[swo2k1]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

All this deducted from one or two incidents?

Seems like they are using a big paint brush.

I imagine they're just putting the word out there now, before it becomes more than just one or two incidents.

[BlackArcher101]

While were at it, how about the people who witness aciddents but don't stop?

[Mad Mel]

My guess is that it's a trend, but they used one or two especially notable incidents to give the public a slap.

[mikey_the_redneck]

Most people assume someone else has or will call the emergency services. It is lazy thinking.

And on the other hand, isn't there a law now against cell phone use while driving?

[MRCboicgy]

Well calling 911 would mean they'd have to stop texting while driving, duh.

[GGG]

I think those fake email warnings make some people not want to stop. We had this one for a Safety Moment at one of our meetings this week

http://www.snopes.com/crime/gangs/carseat.asp

People really need to do a quick snopes check before forwarding this crap.

[worth]

People are too afraid, and in a city, a lot of people assume someone else will do it.

Most people lack leadership and training and are afraid of taking control (even if that mean calling 911) for fear of what will happen to them.

It's sad, but it's kind of a byproduct of our culture, in my estimation.

I've said this in many other threads here, the fact that we are becoming more and more disconnected with each other. Not talking to a soul in the grocery store. Everyone with iPods in their ears, a lot of automation, short tempers and people not willing to deal with others, and this is just an extension of that. No one wants to be inconvenienced.

I guess we just have to ask outselves what we would do in a situation. People should realize that there is a good chance that they are going to witness an accident in their lifetime, and perhaps be prepared for that eventuality. Or more importantly their own safety.

I carry a first aid kit in my trunk. I'm first aid trained, and maybe if more people though of that as being something important, we could help out families and others when these sorts of things happening.

I'm "glad" that I was able to help in an accident situation. The accident happened and there were a lot of people standing around. At least I know I don't have to second guess myself about what I will do in that situation since i've already faced it.

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by mikey_the_redneck

Most people assume someone else has or will call the emergency services. It is lazy thinking.

And on the other hand, isn't there a law now against cell phone use while driving?

Hasn't been passed into law yet. They cut the spring sitting of the Leg short, otherwise it likely would have been law now.

[Orange]

It's called the Bystander Effect:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect

It's not out of laziness or some form of disconnection, it's been well documented long before the tech explosion.

[FlamesAddiction]

I wonder how many people don't call 911 but then call their friends the 1st chance they get to tell them the cool stuff they just saw.

[Flames0910]

I've said this in many other threads here, the fact that we are becoming more and more disconnected with each other. Not talking to a soul in the grocery store. Everyone with iPods in their ears, a lot of automation, short tempers and people not willing to deal with others, and this is just an extension of that. No one wants to be inconvenienced.

No offense but I think you might be reaching here. As Orange said, it's a well documented effect. It's the same reason why people are always helpful when your car breaks down in Banff, on the way to Fernie and in small towns - because who else is going to stop and help?

[Delthefunky]

Reminds me of the Kitty Genovese story!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Genovese

The original story is most likely inaccurate, but non-the less brought upon the study of the "by-stander effect"

[Claeren]

Wow, talk about not taking any responsibility for a horrible 911 service.

As someone who has tried calling 911 a number of times, I now wouldn't bother unless someone directly linked to me was in serious danger or I saw someone who was in undeniable need of help. In fact, I am far far far more likely to go help them myself than depend on 911/police.

I am not going to sit on a long hold waiting for a 911 operator, I am not going to wait for hours in an information vacuum for a police officer to actually show up to the scene, I am not going to live with the frustration that comes with knowing that hours of my day have been spent waiting for a cop to acknowledge my existence as a witness and then filling out statements that will not actually be used for anything because the person will get off on some ######ed plea deal because the prosecutor is too overworked to actually get mere semi-bad-guys convicted of anything. It is all such a joke.



I think there are a lot of different reasons people don't call 911, some fair and some not, but no one should discount the disenfranchisement people feel with the system itself. (All without going into the politics behind our emergency response set-up, etc)




Claeren.

[Claeren]

I really dont want to type the pages and pages it would take to do those experiences justice. On message boards such stories never really translate and people jump to all sorts of conclusions.

Just as an overview, ive been mugged at an ATM by a crackhead and not only been blown off by 911/police (because they just took cash, not my card/pin), but then blown off again when I saw the same person later that night while standing next to a police officer (by random chance). And then waited to get through to 911 because that officer 'was busy', and then waited yet again for hours for a different police officer to show up (then having to call the police line, not 911, 3 more times over 3.5 hours until 5am, and on the 3rd time a police operator saying, 'oh, they told you to wait, um.... let me see if there is someone available to take your statement....') to take a statement that was by then pointless to make. I have followed/called-in drunk drivers (I have 3 similar experiences) who were driving 100+kmph down sidewalks with blown out tires, and then waited for hours to file my statement while the police drank coffee at Tim Hortons as the guy 'who is known to police for drunk driving a lot' sits in the back of the cop car sobering up, all because the 911 operator told me not to leave but police would later say they would not bother filing charges because impounding the guys destroyed truck was enough punishment (I am pretty sure that is not their call to make) and they never realized I was waiting. etc etc

I am not someone who puts up with that sort of thing in any area of my life though, and if the system sucks I just don't engage with that system whenever possible. The core point though is that there is a lot of evidence that 911/emergency response is in shambles right now in Calgary and the tone of that article totally ignores that fact.




Claeren.

[DOK]

Geeze Claeren. Sounds like you've got quite the story. To me, I think they're talking more life or death situations here. I've called 911 and 311 before for my own peace of mind. I'd hate to have seen something and then heard later it resulted in some horrific story where I could have done something. Someone has to step up and be the hero, I think people just don't know how to do that these days anymore. Because I call, doesn't mean I need to stay, because I offer help, doesn't mean I'm under the hood. I can offer, and then call a toe truck, or I can offer and call their friend. There's a million ways to help without fully engulfing yourself. But that's me talking as a woman, knowing I can't really do a lot physically, always.

[Claeren]

Originally Posted by DOK

Geeze Claeren. Sounds like you've got quite the story. To me, I think they're talking more life or death situations here. I've called 911 and 311 before for my own peace of mind. I'd hate to have seen something and then heard later it resulted in some horrific story where I could have done something. Someone has to step up and be the hero, I think people just don't know how to do that these days anymore. Because I call, doesn't mean I need to stay, because I offer help, doesn't mean I'm under the hood. I can offer, and then call a toe truck, or I can offer and call their friend. There's a million ways to help without fully engulfing yourself. But that's me talking as a woman, knowing I can't really do a lot physically, always.

To be honest, the drunk drivers I have called in over the years were MORE of an immediate threat than the fatalities they are refering too. (Pretty grey area between the two, both suck, but a high potential for a new fatality is higher priority than an existing fatality IMO.)

I didn't want to go into specifics for exactly this sort of reason, but I can assure anyone questioning it that each time I have called has been entirely appropriate and call backs have always been to the police line not the 911 line. I am also (distantly) aware of some of their intermal turmoil over the past couple years so I am not just guessing here.

Imagine being this woman, who managed to get a call in to Calgary 911 service before her murder.... I bet she is glad she called 911 eh? I bet she was super impressed by 911's swift and thoughtful response days later when they pulled their phone records and confirmed they didn't bother sending out a cop car?
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/sto...hone-call.html


Claeren.