10th Anniversary of To Inform Families First Initiative

#TravelTuesday

I learned something new and valuable this week and wanted to share it with my friends. Below is an article published in the Ocala Star Banner this week about the To Inform Families First Initiative that I think is very helpful to the families of victims of vehicle collisions, especially. Please feel free to share and inform all your friends.

By Andy Fillmore Correspondent

October marks the 10th anniversary of Florida’s Emergency Contact Information (ECI) system, which was initiated by a Florida mother whose daughter died in a traffic crash near their home but she was not told about it until six hours later.

According to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Christine Olson, who lost her 22-year-old daughter Tiffany in a traffic crash 11 years ago, was the first person in Florida to register ECI contacts on Oct. 2, 2006. The system now has about 11.5 million people enrolled and the program has been started in four other states.

The ECI system is an outcropping of the To Inform Families First Initiative (TIFF) started by Olson after her daughter died Dec. 7, 2005, in a motorcycle crash about 15 minutes from her family’s home in Bradenton. Olson was not informed about her daughter’s death until at least six hours after the crash.

“I’ve learned six hours is about the national average,” Olson said in a telephone interview.

After the loss of her daughter, Olson started a petition and secured the help of Sen. Bill Galvano. She said the effort is about helping families.

“I wear bracelets about ECI and a lot of our out of state customers have expressed interest in it,” she said about her efforts to spread the word about the program and of the restaurant where she works on Anna Maria Island.

The system provides up to two contacts so family members and others can be alerted. The information will only be used by law enforcement to reach the “designated contacts” of a motorist who is “seriously injured or killed in an emergency.”

Representatives with the Florida Highway Patrol, Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Ocala Police Department all said they make use of ECI information.

The information may be entered when renewing a Florida Drivers License or license plate or online at www.toinformfamiliesfirst. org.

Stay safe out there friends,

YOUR #accidentattorney, Marianne Howanitz

www.ocalaaccidentlaw.com