Published on Thursday, October 26, 2006
in the Fernandina Beach News Leader

State database records next-of-kin

Law enforcement officials and workers at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles are hoping a new database that links emergency contact information to the driver's license numbers of Florida drivers will make emergency notifications more efficient. The database was officially opened this month, according to department spokesperson Julie Baker, and so far more than 45,000 drivers have registered their next-of-kin contact information.

"This system allows Floridians to voluntarily provide emergency contact information online, giving law enforcement immediate access to this information and making it easier for them to speak with someone quicker in cases of emergency," said Frank Penela of the motor vehicles department in a press release.

The majority of people in the United States will be involved in at least one motor vehicle accident in their lifetime; most of the time, all parties involved are able to walk away with only minor injuries, if any injuries at all.

Nevertheless, one of the most common causes of serious injury or death for people of all ages is vehicle accidents. And one of the first orders of business for law enforcement officials who respond to the scene of an accident involving serious injuries or death is to notify family members of the victims so they can make decisions about their medical care, inform hospital staff of any medications they may be taking or allergies they may have or, in the worst-case scenarios, say their last goodbyes and begin making funeral arrangements.

The database is the result of the efforts of Christine Olson, a Central Florida woman who lost her 22-year-old daughter Tiffiany Olson in a motorcycle accident Dec. 7.By the time she received official notification from the Florida Highway Patrol, her daughter had been dead for six hours. She and her state legislator, Rep. Bill Galvano, worked together with the motor vehicles department to create the database. Olson was the first licensed driver to register with the system when it was opened.

"Time is crucial. There is no time to waste," Olson says in a statement on her website, www.toinformfamiliesfirst.com/. "No one should have to go through this. Parents want to be with their child if they're hurt and no child, or anyone for that matter, should have to die alone." Lt. Bill Leeper, spokesman for the local division of the Florida Highway Patrol, said that so far local troopers have not used the system, but he does believe it will be helpful for law enforcement and medical personnel. Prior to the database, Leeper said standard procedure for notifying next-of-kin was to send an officer to the address listed on the victim's driver's license. But if family members were not home for some reason - possibly out looking for the victim - or if the victim lived alone, the notification process instantly became more complicated.

Another problem, Leeper said, is that it is very common for people to move to a new address without updating their driver's license. With the database, these issues won't be problems; by simply inserting a registered driver's license number into the system, the officer will have instant access to the names, addresses and phone numbers entered by the victim when they were able to speak for themselves. The database can be accessed at www.flhsmv.gov . Leeper said the Internet is currently the only way to register, but individuals who don't have Internet service at home can access the website at their local library. The site allows users to enter two emergency contacts and up to three phone numbers for each contact. An address and at least one phone number for each contact is required.

To change information, simply go through the process again, said Baker; the system will read only the latest information entered." It's very important to be able to contact someone, especially if the victim can't speak," Leeper said. "Of course medical personnel are trying to treat them and need to know medications they may be on, medications they may be allergic to ... it benefits not only law enforcement personnel and rescue personnel but it benefits the victim and the family as well."