State patrol to drivers: 911 not a traffic hotline

While it might feel like an emergency when you're stuck in traffic, it's not. Washington State Patrol officials are asking drivers not to clog emergency dispatch centers with 911 calls asking about road conditions.

The State Patrol doesn't track the nonemergency calls, said Mark Wilton with the communications division, which oversees eight 911 centers around the state. "But we do have the feeling there are enough of those [calls] to warrant giving the public information for these other resources," Wilton said.

Those include the state Department of Transportation Web site — www.wsdot.wa.gov — radio broadcasts and the 511 service for cellphone users.

The transportation department Web site offers the most information on traffic, mountain-pass conditions, road cameras, road closures and detours. It's safest to use the site before you get into the car, or while parked at a wireless hub along the route.

The state patrol broadcasts traffic advisories and road conditions, updated as conditions change, over the radio. Signs along state highways indicate the station frequency.

Cellphones with Washington area codes can be used to call 511 for traffic, construction and other road information. Other cellphone users can call 800-695-7623 (or 800-OWL-ROAD, if that's easier to remember).

With either, callers can enter their highway number to get information from a fast-talking robot. It's the kind of distraction that you shouldn't undertake while driving, so get to a safe place to make the call.

Calls placed to 911 from cellphones go to the patrol in many areas of the state. In the winter, traffic inquiries and fender-bender reports often swamp dispatchers, Wilton said.

"When we get bad weather, we get more collisions and it's really hard for us to judge if we're missing any calls," he said.