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Monday, January 21, 2008; 12:00 AM
Emergency Information
Dear Heloise: I am a retired police officer who worked TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS in a major city. Generally, the first arrival at a major accident is the fire department's emergency medical technicians. They will look for jewelry with medical conditions listed on it and try to find any identification for a victim. Cell phones, along with other purse contents, often are thrown all over the car or even out of the car. If an officer is there first, he also will go right to the wallet for ID.
I teach driver-safety courses and stress that medical information -- e.g., medications, conditions, doctors and contacts -- be printed on a card (shrunk to the size of your driver's license and covered with adhesive-backed plastic) and put right behind your driver's license.
As an officer, I often got to the scene after a person was transported to the hospital, and I would look through the vehicle for insurance, registration and any obvious valuables. Everything else went with the tow truck, including your glove-box contents.
On the subject of glove boxes, the person who WILL search your glove box is the one who steals your car. So, if your garage-door opener is in your car, there had better not be any papers in the vehicle with your home address on them! -- Ken, Prescott, Ariz.
Ken, thanks for reminding us to take a simple step to have important emergency information easy to locate. Also, the garage-door opener is something to keep in mind if your vehicle is stolen. Read on for a similar hint:
C. Eastman of West Helena, Ark., wrote: "When we travel, we carry copies of our living will and power of attorney for health care in an envelope in the glove compartment where police can easily find it in case of emergency. They will then know our wishes and people to contact. Also helpful is a paper with any allergies, medications and religious preference.
"We never know when we might be in an accident and may not be alert enough to tell emergency people what they need to know."
