An Emergency telephone is a phone specifically provided for making calls to emergency services and are most often found in places of special danger or where it is likely that there will only be a need to make emergency calls.

They are commonly found alongside motorways (in the UK and New Zealand, Autobahnen (in Germany), Autoroutes (in France), highways (in the USA) and similar roads throughout the world. They were installed at 1/4 mile intervals on all limited-access highways ("Freeways") throuough Southern California in the United States as far back as the 1970s.

Emergency phones can also be found at the ends of bridges or near cliffs which have a history of suicides. These are generally routed directly to appropriate support agencies such as The Samaritans in the UK.

They are also occasionally found along the coastline where members of the public may wish to report swimmers or boats in danger at sea. In the UK such phones connect directly to the Coastguard.

In some countries, they are also found in places where people may feel vulnerable or unsafe at night. They are commonly found on university campuses. These are generally linked to security companies who patrol the streets where the phones are located.

As cell phone use continues to increase, the need for emergency telephones is reduced and as a result are being phased out in many cities. Orange County Register, "500 freeway call boxes set to make an exit" May 17, 2005 However, they are likely remain vital for safety in areas with poor cell phone coverage and in places of high suicide risk.

These telephones are almost always marked by a placard or sign indicating a unique serial number or identifier which allows the authorities to know exactly where the caller is - even if they do not know - simply by having the caller read the short identifier from the placard over the telephone. In some cases the phones are equipped with the equivalent of caller id and the agent receiving the call can know what the location is even if the caller does not identify it.

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