In the wake of Hurricane Matthew, Orange County Tax Collector Scott Randolph is urging more county drivers to add their Emergency Contact Information (ECI) to their driver license so that law enforcement can contact a driver’s loved ones in case of an emergency.
Add your Emergency Contact Information today >
Randolph wants drivers to add their emergency information to a secure system created for law enforcement officers. The information in the system, known as the Driver and Vehicle Information Database (D.A.V.I.D), is connected to one’s Florida Driver License or ID Card and is available to law enforcement agencies across Florida, giving them instant access to a driver’s emergency contact should the need to reach that person arise.
“Whether it’s a hurricane or a car accident, we have to be prepared for every emergency situation,” Orange County Tax Collector Scott Randolph said. “By encouraging our loved ones to register their emergency contact information, we can have the peace of mind knowing that law enforcement has the ability to easily contact us in case of an emergency.”
The emergency contact information system was created after a 2005 motor vehicle fatality on U.S. 19 in Manatee County. The young victim’s mother, Christine Olson, was not notified of her daughter’s passing for several hours and was sadly unable to say her last goodbyes. After the incident, Ms. Olson worked with the Florida Legislature and Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) to ensure that Florida drivers are provided with the opportunity to include their emergency contact information in D.A.V.I.D.
Today, 11.4 million of the 16 million Florida drivers have registered their emergency contact information, including 85% of all Orange County drivers. More than 262,000 Orange County drivers have not registered.
Orange County drivers can add their emergency contact information online at bit.ly/EmergencyContactInfo or in person at any of the seven Tax Collector offices in Orange County. To add one’s emergency contact information, a driver will need their current, valid Florida Driver License or ID Card and their date of birth.
