If you're piloting a ship or aircraft, there are multiple levels of distress call available to you; not everything needs to be called in as a mayday. But for dr

If you're piloting a ship or aircraft, there are multiple levels of distress call available to you; not everything needs to be called in as a mayday. But for drivers on the road, 911 has to serve as a one size fits all resource, which leads to doubt in situations like these where it is not yet necessary to send an ambulance or firefighters. The most severe emergencies are the ones people most readily associate with calling 911, and it takes education and outreach to reassure people that it's okay to call 911 for less severe situations—before things go from bad to worse.