Manatee County Commission declares Oct. 3 - 9 Register Your Emergency Contact Week

  • Oct 7, 2010

MANATEE COUNTY, FL (Oct. 7, 2010) – Manatee County Commissioners voiced official support for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ Emergency Contact Information Program today when they proclaimed Oct. 3 – 9, 2010 as Register Your Emergency Contact Week.

The Emergency Contact Information Program helps law enforcement officers quickly access contact information for loved ones of those involved in an emergency or accident. People with a valid Florida driver’s license or identification card can voluntarily provide contact information at www.flhsmv.gov/eci or when applying for a driver’s license or ID card.


The contact information is stored in the Driver and Vehicle Information Database (D.A.V.I.D.) system which is a secured database used by most law enforcement agencies in the state of Florida. The information in this secure database is only accessible by law enforcement through a Florida driver’s license or identification card. The information will only be used by law enforcement officers to notify designated contacts if a motorist is seriously injured or killed in an emergency.


The program came about in 2006, one year after Bradenton resident Christine Olson's daughter Tiffiany was fatally injured in a traffic accident. There was no emergency contact system in place, and more than six hours passed before Olson was notified of her daughter's passing. She worked with Rep. Bill Galvano and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to create the Emergency Contact Information Program, also known as To Inform Families First, or TIFF’s Initiative.


For more information, visit www.flhsmv.gov/eci or www.toinformfamiliesfirst.org