BigBlueToe

I'm one who bought a Road ID bracelet because I usually tour alone. However, as I put it on I often wonder what the chances are that a first responder would even think to look on my wrist. So, firefighters, ambulance drivers, law enforcement folks: do you commonly look on the wrists of downed bicyclists?

I also back it up with a hand-written card stuck in the plastic map case on my handlebar bag. My old helmet from 20 years ago had a little plastic piece inside where you could write your name and some emergency information. Do they still have those and would first responders look there?

Where do you think the most likely-to-be-noticed spot would be for emergency information>

EricJ

My neighbor (an EMT) said they are trained to look for a MedicAlert bracelet that warns them of important medical conditions. They'll certainly see it. And they need your billing address to make sure the hospital will take you!!

I just looked at the Road ID site. I'm going to sign up tonight.

Eric

oldcrank

Right now I just carry my drivers licence, health insurance and prescription cards. I think an ID bracelet is a good idea . . . which I would wear in addition to the cards. I'm not sure of what information an ID bracelet includes, but it might be a good idea to mention any types of meds that one would be on as well, such as for blood pressure, low-dose aspirin, etc. Also, I've heard horror stories of folks that have been long-term benzo users (xanax, ativan, etc), and the hospital staff did not know. The sudden withdrawal from those types of meds can be challenging, to say the least. These are complications that no one wants to have in addition to what has just happened to you on the road.

The Weak Link

You probably know this and were just kidding, but that would be a violation of EMTALA/COBRA and the hospital would be heavily sanctioned if they did that.

Pamestique 

I use to have the med dot in my helmet. From experience I can tell you that med dot is worthless. The paramedics never thought to look there. My helmet was left on the side of the road. I bought my Road ID shortly after that accident and the following year was again injured. This time my wrist ID was noticed. EMT's routinely check wrists for med bracelets and other ID.

The infor that can be placed on the Road ID is limited but it can be whatever you want. If you have a medical issue (such as allergies to meds) I strongly urge you to wear a Med ID bracelet, different than the Road ID bracelet. On my Road ID bracelet I have my name, address, health provider and plan no and emg contact info.

overthehillmedi

From my perspective as a retired paramedic,the best spot to wear an I.D./Medical band is on the left wrist as that is where that most paramedics check for them,then a necklace style.Also en route to the hospital the left side of the patient is in most cases the side of the ambulance the medic is sitting on.Wallets were not in most cases something I checked en route to the Emergency if my patient was in serious condition,I had in most cases given the wallet to the police to help them with their investigation.

genec

Health provider and plan number... heck my office changes these about every other year...

Fredmertz51

And we all know that never happens.

rdmjr

+1 here - (and it's always more expensive and covers less too) but that's why I'm planning on getting the Road ID Interactive next payday. That way almost everything can be changed online, so that when we get the usual "We're changing insurance plans, this one only raises our rates 12% while bumping the co-pay by $5 for family doctors" (no mention of the $25 jump in co-pay for specialists) memo, I can just go out there and change the information.
- Bob

gcottay

EMS personnel at all levels are trained to hunt for ID if the patient cannot provide it. Your wrists are an early check area.

The inside of your helmet, though, might not see the light of day for a while. If you have a possible head or neck injury, your helmet may stay on your head. This is certainly true for football or motorcycle gear, probably less a risk for bike helmets.

The Weak Link

Oh really? Your sources?

fthomas

On our aircraft the medical staff used to go to town cutting clothing off of unconscious patients in route looking for all injuries. A medical bracelet or in the case of military, dog tags, were always found. I went with the bracelet instead of the dog tags and with the web based information in order to be able to list all I need to list. I was carrying laminated tags on my person and bike, but figured those will not be found by the first responders prior to transport. It doesn't do much good if the police find it during their investigation.

If it isn't there it isn't going to be seen.

JanMM

Flash drives or Web-based ID systems are overkill for folks with no significant meds/health problems/allergies. For most, identification and ICE contact info are all that's needed. No one needs blood type; nothing but O blood would ever be given without a type and cross.

EastOfMidnight

CPR, First Aid and EMT training all emphasize looking for medical tags, alerts, etc. Training also suggests checking cell phones, PDAs, etc. for an ICE (in case of emergency) listing. I use a Road ID (wrist) when I ride, row, go out in the woods, or do anything else that might put me at risk. I use the electronic version with an extensive history, medical contacts, ICE, etc. Very cheap insurance.

byte_speed

Maybe you could have a bracelet that says to look in bike bag (or helmet,etc.) for ID? Then you could easily change the other ID and keep the bracelet.

This would also be good if you have more than will fit on bracelet.

Velo Dog

There's not much room for you to get uppity about this, at least not where I live. We've had four emergency room visits in my family in the past year, two of them for potentially fatal conditions, and nobody wasted any time getting the billing information. In my case (gall bladder that looked a lot like a heart attack) they were asking for my Blue Cross card before they wheeled the oxygen in.

Having said that, though, I was on a medical response team in a good volunteer fire department for 11 years, and part of our training was to look for bracelets and necklaces. I can't swear we'd find anything inside the helmet, or even that we'd look for it--we were in a rural area, and we generally just stabilized people until the ambulance or CareFlight arrived. Really, though, it might not matter. After, say, a bad crash, the initial treatment is likely to be the same regardless of pre-existing conditions. It's the people in the ER who need the details.
FWIW, I wear a red dogtag embossed with my meds and a minor heart condition. Anybody who opens my shirt can't miss it.

Retro Grouch 

Years ago I was trained to be an EMT.

A key part of the training is to do a complete examination of any patient who is unable to communicate. As part of our final examination we had some scenerios of patients with some really gory wounds. Passing the test required finding some much less serious wounds on some other part of the patients body.

If an EMT or other first responder doesn't find an ID bracelet, they aren't doing their job very well.

the engine

I wear a Road ID (emergency contact info) and my "diabetic" medical pendant on the same necklace, 24/7 ... never take them off.

I am confident that they will be found ... I chose not to wear a bracelet, in case I'm dismembered and a bracelet could be lost (no kidding). Advice from both an EMT and a fireman.

Sounds extreme, but accident are unpredictable ...

MillCreek

I have no medical conditions, but have a dogtag with my ID info. Also, on all of my bikes, I have a laminated business card tied to the handlebars. The blank side of the card has a sticker with my home address and phone info.

I used to be a paramedic, and the wrists and neck were routinely checked for MedicAlert bracelets and dogtags.

fthomas

If I am dismembered a bracelet is the least of my worries!

Can't believe they labeled this one as "50".

n4zou

A dog tag around the neck is best due to the fact it will be in the way when they rip off your shirt. Some may think flash drives are overkill but considering how cheap they are these days and how easy it is for your care provider to load your medical records on it you should just go ahead and purchase one. I bought several 1-GB USB flash drives at Big-Lots for $8 each. Your care provider should attach a medic sticker to the flash drive after your records are copied to it, make sure they don't forget to attach the tag. Also make sure to take it with you every time you see your care provider so they can update it. When I go to my doctor the nurse will take my flash drive and plug it into the computer so it's gets updated along with with the flash drive the doctor uses to keeps his copy of my records on.

BigBlueToe

Thanks to everyone who has responded. I've found the information provided helpful and interesting.

Now I'd like to solicit some more information and especially encourage emergency medical personnel to respond. The question is, what information would be most useful to put on a Road ID bracelet?

There are 6 lines on my bracelet. I currently have the following information:

1. My name
2. My hometown
3. My home phone number
4. My wife's cell phone number
5. My oldest child's cell phone number
6. The fact that I have type 2 diabetes

I'm thinking I don't need my hometown on there. I'm also thinking I should substitute my 2nd child's cell phone number, since my oldest child is now in college in another state. I'm also wondering if the fact that I have type 2 diabetes would be of use to an emergency medical person.

Would my health insurance policy number be helpful? I don't know my blood type, but someone said that's not necessary these days anyway.

What would you suggest?