‘I have to pee’: Man calls 911 while stuck in traffic

A man’s misplaced emergency call to 911, has prompted police in Ontario, Canada to educate people on the proper uses of dialling 911 (999 in the UK). In the audio released by Peel Regional Police, a man called seeking assistance as he was stuck in traffic and had to pee.

‘Is that your Emergency?’

At the start of the 38-second call, the operator could be heard asking the caller if he needs police fire or ambulance.

He first responded by saying he would need an ambulance, but changed his preference to needing assistance instead.

The man told the operator:

The thing is I have to pee, and these guys are not moving.

To which the operator responded, just to be sure what the emergency was:

This is your emergency? That you have to pee? And how are the police going to help you urinate?

The man repeated his earlier request to the amazement of the operator, who told him:

I'm not sure what you'd like me to do if you have to urinate, I can't help you with that.

Not an Emergency

On Friday, police released the audio recording of this conversation to remind the public on what constitutes an emergency; needing to use the bathroom when the car ahead of you isn’t moving fast enough is not one of those instances.

The public is being reminded that misusing the police emergency contact line can potentially prevent someone with a life-threatening emergency from getting help on time.

In the UK, you can contact the police by calling 999 to report emergencies or by calling 101 for non-emergencies.