Senate Passes National 911 Access Bill - Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 - Brief Article

Public Roads, Nov, 1999

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 (S. 800) on August 5. The bill designates 9-1-1 as the universal number for all emergency calls. S.800 emphasizes the importance of having a coordinated and integrated transportation system - a system in which emergency communications and services are integrated with traffic control and traffic management systems.

The bill also leads the way for the eventual creation of a communications infrastructure, such as Automatic Crash Notification (ACN), which would provide an automatic signal to emergency service providers when a vehicle is involved in a crash.