Monday, September 21, 2009

Road ID - Help the EMTs Help You

I love to bike, both alone and with groups.  But when I ride alone, I have one big worry - that I'll have a crash and be unable to call for help.  I do my best to prepare by keeping a cell phone with me, carrying my wallet with my driver's license, and following well-known routes when biking alone.  But there is always the chance of the psycho driver, or the hidden pothole which could flip me over the handlebars and knock me out.  Then the EMTs would be forced to treat me with only the clues about my identity they can find quickly.

The answer is Road ID.  This simple product is a high-strength metal tab that you wear either on a wrist-band (shown below) or as a dog tag.  The tab is laser-etched with personal information that you provide (I give my mother and brother's phone numbers) and is likely to stay with you even when your cell phone might go flying or be cracked.  A MedicAlert-like service is also offered which provides a phone number that First Responders can call to get up-to-the-minute personal contact info, but personally I stick with the simpler version.

In my opinion, this is a must-have to ever serious cyclist who rides alone.

Posted via email from The Bike Nomad

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