It seems safe to assume that local, state and federal law enforcement have no idea who went berserk on Interstate 81, rammed a 28-year-old man into its median, and then shot him to death on a cold Jan. 4 early morning in Antrim Township.

But there's one thing almost everyone knows: In this age of technological wonders it strains credulity to think that cellular emergency communications remain spotty to the point that they could have been a factor in a fatal road rage incident that shocked the nation.

No one's saying that the dropped 911 call Timothy Davison experienced as he crossed the Pennsylvania-Maryland border -- hotly pursued by the driver who eventually killed him -- played a crucial role in the incident. The fact that Davison had to make a second 911 call once he crossed into Pennsylvania might have had no effect on the response time of authorities.

But let's not forget: Davison didn't die at the scene. He died some time later after arriving at York Hospital. Lost minutes owing to a dropped 911 call might not have mattered. We just don't know, and aren't likely to find out if we have to rely on local, state and corporate authorities.

For that reason, we applaud Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Bob Casey's request this week for a Federal Communications Commission investigation into what went wrong with Davison's initial attempt to seek help that night.

Without impartial third-party oversight, we're likely to never know what happened, and therefore remain unable to fix whatever problems -- if any -- the system might have. Otherwise we'll be left with the situation as it stands now, given our reporting this week: Local emergency officials blaming wireless coverage problems, and wireless service providers doubting -- perhaps reasonably -- the cellular coverage along a major U.S. interstate could be so lacking.

It's time to dig up something more substantive and credible than popular anecdotes about dropped calls at the state border.

The extent of cellular coverage deficiencies and state-to-state emergency communications integration must be assessed and, if necessary, reworked to eliminate gaps and seams. Too many people cross that state border as part of their daily routines. Too many people -- especially older folks -- carry cell phones solely for the sense of security they're supposed to impart.

We've invested too much money and ceded too many civil liberties into a surveillance society that clearly excels at tracking the mundane but -- at least in this case -- apparently fails when it counts most. Cameras everywhere, and yet we still don't have that murderer's license plate.

If nothing else, Casey's call for an investigation might bring about something positive from something so horrible. It might even eventually save lives.

There is no possible upside to the senseless and outrageous loss of such a reportedly bright and well-liked young man. It would be offensive to suggest that any silver lining could offset his family's loss. But we ought to least learn from what happened, and do everything we can to reduce the likelihood of a similar outcome the next time some lunatic attempts a murderous rampage.

By Matthew Major, Public Opinion opinion editor, Digital First Media