Published on Monday, January 29, 2007
in the Villages Daily Sun

State officials add emergency contacts to database

TAMPA — The unexpected loss of a loved one in a car accident or other disaster is a heart-wrenching experience that many families are forced to endure.

Often, the effects of such a tragedy are worsened simply because law enforcement is not able to get in touch with family members of the deceased in a timely manner.

For this reason, state officials recently made an addition to Florida’s Driver and Vehicle Information Database (DAVID), allowing all state residents to include their emergency contact information in the system.

Residents possessing either a Florida driver’s license or state identification card are now able to include the names and phone numbers of two emergency contacts in the database, which state and local law enforcement uses routinely to identify drivers and their vehicles.

In the event that a resident is hurt or killed in a traffic crash or other accident, law enforcement can simply run the individual’s driver’s license number through the system and easily locate his or her next of kin or other designated contact person.

“It’s probably one of the best tools given to law enforcement in a long time,” Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Larry Coggins said of the addition to the system. “It’s free. Anyone with a computer can access it. It takes about one minute to do it.”

People can register their information simply by logging onto the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Web site at hsmv.state.fl.us. Once there, residents can click on “Emergency Contact Information” to be taken to the sign-up page.

Efforts to include emergency contact information in the system were spearheaded by Christine Olson of Bradenton, whose 22-year-old daughter Tiffiany was killed in a car accident in December 2005. After the accident, it took Highway Patrol troopers more than seven hours to track down Christine to deliver the terrible news.

Approximately 425,000 Floridians have registered their information in the system since October, when the emergency contact function was added to the system, Coggins said. The ultimate goal is to have every Florida resident’s information in the system, he said.

Coggins added that he personally was able to call the system a success in December, when an Ocala woman was killed in a traffic accident on Interstate 75 in Sumter County and FHP was able to quickly get in touch with her family. Although the woman had an Ocala address, her entire family lived in Lakeland.

“If it wasn’t for that system we wouldn’t have known where to go,” Coggins said. “Because she filled that out, it saved us a lot of heartache looking for the family.”

He added that the information can be utilized in a variety of emergency situations not exclusive to traffic accidents.

“It can be used anytime an officer has a need for it,” Coggins said. “It’s been very beneficial.”

“It’s a secure site. Only law enforcement can utilize it,” he said.

Personal information included in driver and vehicle registration records is blocked from view by unauthorized persons through Florida’s driver privacy protection act, according to Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

While no one is required to register emergency contacts in the system, FHP and other law enforcement agencies are utilizing their own Internet sites as well as the media to encourage residents to submit their information.

“It’s easier for us to have (the information) immediately there,” Coggins said. “I highly recommend it.”

A link to the emergency contact information sign-up page can also be found at the web site set up on behalf of Tiffiany Olson at toinformfamiliesfirst.com.