The Washington State Patrol is asking for help in reducing non-emergency calls to its emergency dispatch centers.

This will allow staff to focus on critical incidents and improve emergency response. Calling 9-1-1 should be reserved for reporting life-threatening emergencies.

Many calls to 9-1-1 are inquiries about road conditions. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) provides traffic conditions, construction information, and mountain pass reports on their Web site www.wsdot.wa.gov. This Web site has links to road closures, detours, traffic congestion maps, near real-time camera views, weather, etc.

While traveling, traffic information can also be accessed by calling 5-1-1 from a cellular phone.

For cell phone calls outside Washington, call (800) 695-ROAD (7623).

The WSDOT highway advisory radio also gives current travel information. While traveling, watch for signs along the road that indicate the channel for the immediate area. Travel advisories are also on local radio stations.

Finally, the large WSDOT highway advisory signs located at numerous key locations throughout the state give important traffic information that can be extremely timely when traveling.?

The Washington State Patrol asks that 9-1-1 calls be reserved for emergencies. Drivers are asked to use the other means mentioned above to get accurate, timely traveler information.?

John Batiste, Chief of the Washington State Patrol said, “This is a win-win for the public and emergency response agencies.”