State offers free service to quickly reach loved ones if you’re in a serious wreck
Kentucky drivers can now sign up for a free state online service that gives police information on whom to contact if a person is involved in a vehicle crash or emergency situation.
“This is a powerful, powerful tool,” Gov. Matt Bevin said as he unveiled the service at a Capitol news conference Thursday.
He noted that he and his wife, Glenna Bevin, lost a 17-year-old daughter, Brittiney, in a 2003 car accident near the family’s home.
The governor said she was not able to speak. “Connecting the dots wasn’t as easy as it might have been for law enforcement on the scene if this had been in existence at that time,” he said.
Bevin urged every Kentuckians with a state license, permit or personal ID to sign up at https://apps.transportation.ky.gov/emergencynotice/.
The person signing up enters their license number, date of birth and full name and then the name, relationship and telephone number of the person police could contact in the event of a critical emergency. The submitted information will become available to police the same day.
The contact information is put into the cardholder’s driving record, accessible only to police for emergencies.
Bevin emphasized that the sign-up is voluntary and that the information will be kept confidential.
Those with limited Internet access can call the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet at 502-564-1257 or provide emergency contact information in person at the circuit court clerk office in their county of residence.
Users are responsible for entering accurate data, as well as updating contact data as necessary.
The service — called Emergency Notice — was developed by the Transportation Cabinet with Kentucky State Police and the Department of Criminal Justice Training.
“With technology today, officers are often in a race against social media to notify next of kin that a family member has been involved in a critical incident before they find out online,” Steve Long, training director for the criminal justice training department, said in a statement. “Identifying an emergency contact can sometimes be an involved process. Having this information in a database allows law enforcement to reallocate those resources previously dedicated to identification and better serve our citizens in times of emergency.”
This story was originally published March 7, 2019 at 11:14 AM.
