EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION CAN BE ON FILE THROUGH YOUR DRIVER LICENSE

Florida residents can now register information with the state so police can quickly contact relatives in an emergency.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles unveiled the program on its Web site.

The program adds phone numbers to driver license information that only law enforcement officers can access. The state said nearly 13,000 people signed up in the system's first week.

Here is how it works:

Log onto www.hsmv.state.fl.us/ and click on "Emergency Contact Information."

Then input your driver license information on the first screen and input one or two emergency contacts on the second page.

Residents without computers should go to a library or get help from a friend as there is currently no way to phone in or mail that information.

Residents should also program emergency contacts into their cell phones under the label "ICE," meaning "In Case of Emergency,"  so that emergency officials can then find appropriate contact information on the phone.

With that information, any police officer who runs a driver license through the system can quickly get emergency contacts for the person. The system will be especially useful in finding contacts for people who live alone or have out-of-state relatives.

This came about as a result of one woman's teenage daughter being killed in a car accident and taking over five hours to locate the mother to inform her.  This way, if you are in an accident, the police can run the driver license and have the information right away to notify emergency contacts of the person.

As of October 1st, any child over five years of age can be issued a Florida identification card.  This will allow your child to be placed into the D.A.V.I.D. system which can provide vital information and a photograph for law enforcement in case of abduction, missing or runaway children.