Bear321 said We haven't had cell phones in over five years. We just haven't really needed one. I could have used one this weekend when I was the victim of some really bad road rage from another driver. I could have called 911.
To BEAR321 You don't have to have an activated cell phone account to call 911 on a CDMA cellphone. Verizon, Sprint, and Alltel use CDMA.
You will not be able to call 911 on an unactivated cellphone that uses GSM. That would be AT&T,Cingular, T-mobile.
Plenty of people have old cell phones that are out of fashion, but will still work for a 911 call. Ask around to see if someone will give you one of their old ones.
If you rarely have need of a cellphone, why not consider a prepaid phone. I reccommend Net 10 Wireless a division of Tracfone http://www.net10wireless.com It's 10 cents per minute, unused minutes carry over, and you have to feed it $30 every 60 days. That's $15 a month, with no contract or penalty.
The phone uses the AT&T system in most areas, and works great. The phone can be activated ANONAMOUSLY online. When you call someone, their caller ID will show your number but not your name, and will simply read "wireless call".
The phones and refill cards are available all over, and at stores such as Walmart, K-mart, etc.