Auto Makers: Asleep at the Wheel
New Jersey State Senator Joseph F. Vitale will introduce a bill today in the New Jersey Legislature to be called the National Motor Vehicle Emergency Contact Registry Act. The Act will require motor vehicle manufacturers that distribute vehicles in New Jersey, in conjunction with law enforcement agencies, to establish the National Motor Vehicle Emergency Contact Registry.
There's only one thing wrong with this legislation. It lacks a sponsor or vocal supporter from among the many auto makers based in New Jersey including: BMW North America (Woodcliff Lake), Ferrari North America (Englewood Cliffs), Jaguar Land Rover (Mahwah), Maserati North America (Englewood Cliffs), Rolls-Royce Motor Cars (Woodcliff Lake), Subaru of America (Cherry Hill), or Volvo Cars of North America (Rockleigh).
It's not too late for car makers to embrace this legislation as a critical element of customer care. As things stand today in the U.S. and around the world, car makers and dealers who gather emergency contact information at the point of sale in connection with telematics systems that offer automatic crash notification are not able to share that contact information without the customer's consent. As a result, crash victims who are unconscious will not benefit from the timely notification of family members - and first responders and law enforcement are forced to waste valuable time trying to locate that information.
The national registry proposed under this bill expands the driver's license next-of-kin registry already enacted in New Jersey, which provides a valuable resource for police to provide timely notification to family members and loved ones. Broadening the next-of-kin registry to participate in a national vehicle identification number registry, where all 50 states can be linked, will create an efficient and immediate way for police nationwide to find and inform families about their loved ones.
Under the bill, motor vehicle manufacturers of a new vehicle sold or leased in New Jersey on or after January 1, 2019 will be required to provide a means whereby a purchaser can voluntarily designate at the time of purchase or lease an emergency contact to be stored in the National Motor Vehicle Emergency Contact Registry. The bill would require this emergency contact information be made available electronically only to authorized law enforcement and would require law enforcement personnel, when practicable, to expeditiously notify the registered owner's emergency contact, if a vehicle's occupant or occupants are rendered unable to communicate due to physical injury.
The bill expands New Jersey's next-of-kin registry, known as “Sara’s Law” enacted in April 2011, which was created in memory of Sara Dubinin, a 19-year-old Sayreville woman who tragically died on September 25, 2007 from injuries resulting from a car crash. It took emergency personnel an hour and a half to notify her parents of the crash and by the time they arrived at the hospital, she had already slipped into a coma. Sara died the next morning.
"I know how important this expansion to Sara's Law is. We assume that we will be notified immediately if our loved ones have been involved in a motor vehicle crash, and now I know from our tragic experience with my precious daughter, that this is not always the case," said Betty Dubinin, Sara's mother. "Bringing the automotive industry together with law enforcement to advance Sara's Law nationwide will ensure motorists in all 50 states ?have the peace-of-mind that police have the necessary resource to quickly access emergency contact information.
"I was not there for my precious daughter when she needed me the most, and I will never know if the outcome would be different if I was there with Sara, holding her hand and letting her know she was not alone. I had no part in making decisions for my daughter at this most critical time."
“Sara’s Law” was expanded last year, with legislation also sponsored by Senator Vitale, to allow Garden State residents with a valid permit, driver’s license, or identification card to include their emergency contact information in the statewide “Next-of-Kin Registry” by mail using paper applications provided by the Motor Vehicle Commission’s customer service facilities and mailings.?
Under current law, a police officer investigating a crash that results in serious bodily injury, death or incapacitation of a driver or any passenger is required to attempt to locate emergency contacts by accessing the Next-of-Kin Registry and expeditiously notify them.
Roger C. Lanctot is Associate Director in the Global Automotive Practice at Strategy Analytics. More details about Strategy Analytics can be found here: https://www.strategyanalytics.com/access-services/automotive#.VuGdXfkrKUk
HR Specialist at FMCC
7 年I totally agree. When I'm traveling my family always knows my destination. If I were in an accident my purse & cell phone were not visible the emergency response team & law enforcement agency may not have time to look for my emergency contact information in my wallet or cell. When the buyer/lessee is asked by the dealership employee the name, cell & alternative contact number it can be added to the same data base law enforcement utilizes to to establish the lien holders & registered owners information when a vehicle is towed & impounded after an accident. The law enforcement agency can simply call the emergency contact or leave a message requesting a return call.
Chief Data Scientist at EAF LLC
7 年Let's hope this grassroots effort is more effective than another National law: NMVTIS Look it up!
Machine Learning, Hyperspectral Imaging, REE Mineral Exploration Consultant, Real Estate Investor
7 年I think it's a good idea. You should move the 4th paragraph to right after the first paragraph. Also, paragraph 4 says it's a National registry; I thought this was a NJ bill? These two points make it difficult to figure out what you're talking about.
Founder and CEO @ ROADMEDIC? | Transforming the digital license plate into a 9-1-1 IoT device connecting to 9-1-1 in 2-3 seconds when airbags deploy.
7 年The pain is unimaginable. Thank you for all your efforts in New Jersey, and now expanding nationwide, to help police expedite family notification following roadside emergencies involving the incapacitated. Understanding that registering your emergency contacts in the national motor vehicle emergency contact registry proposed in Senator Vitale's bill is VOLUNTARY/OPT-IN for car buyers, I fail to understand why anyone would oppose such a measure. To each his/her own.
Founder, Sara Dubinin Foundation - Family Notification Advocate at LiDAR Saving Lives Public Safety Coalition
7 年My name is Betty Dubinin, and I am Sara's mom. The next of kin registry in New Jersey was created in my daughter's name. On September 24, 2007, my precious daughter was involved in a one car crash here in our town of Sayreville. The time on the police report is 11:48 A.M. I was at home, and knew nothing until about 1:45 that afternoon, when a friend of a friend of Sara's called me, and asked me how Sara was. I had no idea what she was talking about. She is the one who told me that Sara was in critical condition at a nearby hospital. My husband and I left the house immediately, contacting the police and the hospital on our way, as we frantically drove to the hospital. I was told that there was a crash in town by the police, and the hospital told me that there was an "unidentified female" patient in the ER. They called my beautiful daughter Lauren Doe. When we arrived, Sara was in the SICU. She had slipped into a coma, and we lost our only child the next day. Our grief is overwhelming, as are the what if's and if only's. I could have been there for Sara, when she needed me the most, and I will never know if things would be different. Sara's Law was created by my local legislators to prevent this from happening to any other family. This next step of taking Sara's Law nationwide will help not only New Jersey residents, but every state across the nation. The process in the legislature is a long and arduous one, as I can testify. Only eleven states have a next of kin registry as of now. As a parent, I would want as many emergency contacts as possible, to ensure that I would be contacted in the event of a motor vehicle crash where my loved ones cannot speak for themselves. I am working on this with Senator Vitale and Car Dealers Saving Lives, and I applaud Roger for writing and sharing this article. Thank you, Roger.