INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Florida’s Emergency Contact Information system reached a milestone this week, surpassing the 10 million mark in the number of people who have securely registered their contact information with the state. That is an average of more than a million new registrants a year since the system was created in 2006.
“The response we’ve seen from Floridians has been tremendous, but there are still more than five million licensed drivers who have not registered their emergency contact information,” said DHSMV Executive Director Terry L. Rhodes. “ECI provides you with a safe and secure way to register your contact information so that authorities can reach your loved ones when it matters most. It takes just a few minutes to register.”
The ECI program was established in 2006 and immediately garnered national recognition. The idea for ECI came from Christine Olson, whose daughter, Tiffiany, was killed in a traffic crash on US 19 in Manatee County more than nine years ago.
It was several hours after Tiffiany’s death before authorities were able to find her contact information and notify her parents. Her mother didn’t want other families to experience a similar fate and began pushing for the creation of a system that allows people to submit their emergency contact information as part of their secure driver license or identification card record. The information can only be accessed by law enforcement in times of an emergency.
“Ten years ago my life changed forever with my daughter’s death. I did not have the opportunity to say goodbye to Tiffiany,” said Christine Olson. “I didn’t want her death to be in vain. I began working to create a program to help other families so that they might avoid what my family experienced. I am pleased to hear that 10 million people have taken advantage of the Emergency Contact Information system.”
For those already registered, be sure to keep emergency contact information current. To register or update information, go to: https://services.flhsmv.gov/eci/
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles: providing A Safer Florida by securely maintaining the records of more than 19 million registered vehicles and over 15 million licensed drivers, as well as providing safe travel along Florida’s highways. To learn more about DHSMV and the services offered, visit www.flhsmv.gov, follow them on Twitter @FLHSMV or find them on Facebook.