European 112 Day Date in the current year: February 11, 2024

The world’s most famous emergency telephone number is probably 911 used in the United States, Canada, Mexico, El Salvador and Costa Rica, among other countries. This is largely due to the popularity of American movies and television shows around the world. In the European Union, however, the 112 number has been officially adopted as a standard.

One of the first countries to use 112 as its emergency number was Sweden. This choice of number has two main advantages. First, using at least two different digits significantly reduces the risk of accidental calls that are a particular problem with same-digit numbers, such as the 999 number in the UK. Second, pressing only the first and second button on the numeric keypad is easy in a difficult situation. This was also true in the days of rotary dial telephones because 1 and 2 required the least dial rotation.

In 1991, the European Union officially adopted the 112 number as a valid emergency number throughout the EU countries. It is also used in many of the member countries of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT). Most GSM phones have 112 as a pre-programmed emergency number.

Since 2009, February 11 (the 11th day of the 2nd month) has been observed as European 112 Day. It aims to promote the existence and appropriate use of the 112 emergency number.