WCPO: Roller coaster riders are accidentally calling 911
UC professor suggests turning off phones to avoid unintended calls
Guests at amusement parks including Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, are accidentally calling 911 due to Apple's new crash detection feature, WCPO reported.
Between Sept. 18 and Oct. 9, the Warren County Communications Center in Ohio received 12 calls generated by iPhones while their users were riding a Kings Island roller coaster. The crash detection feature, which is intended to detect car crashes, is included on the new iPhone 14 and Apple Watches.
“It's doing its job to announce that it found the thing it was set to find,” said Jess Kropczynski, an associate professor at the University of Cincinnati's School of Information Technology. “It’s just that this can often be a false positive.”
Kropczynski suggested people should turn off their phones prior to riding a roller coaster to prevent accidentally triggering the crash detection software.
Featured image at top courtesy of Unsplash.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
GE Aerospace workforce training focuses on Dayton workers
May 11, 2026
GE Aerospace is launching more employee training at its Beavercreek Plant. The Dayton Daily News talks to the company's site leader, a University of Cincinnati graduate who got his start at GE Aerospace through UC's co-op program.
How a SCOTUS decision could impact a Cincinnati ban
May 6, 2026
Ryan Thoreson, associate professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, spoke to WVXU's Cincinnati Edition about a Cincinnati ban on conversion therapy in light of a recent Supreme Court ruling.
What can oral health tell us about kidney health?
May 6, 2026
A recent article published in BMC Nephrology points to a connection between oral health and kidney health, citing evidence analyzed by University of Cincinnati College of Medicine researchers. The article shows an association between oral diseases and chronic kidney disease. Priyanka Gudsoorkar, assistant professor-educator in the Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, recently appeared on Cincinnati Edition on 91.7 WVXU News, to discuss the latest findings.