Two years ago, I introduced Senate Bill 249 that aimed to establish a “Next of Kin” database at the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. A concurrent piece of legislation, Amended House Bill 392, was passed by both chambers of the 127th General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Ted Strickland. Passage of that bill made Ohio one of the first states in the U.S. to develop a Next of Kin database.
My involvement in developing this legislation was the direct result of a tragic ordeal experienced by one of our constituents. A mother, whose adult son was killed in a car crash, was notified of the death in an accidental matter over the telephone by a hospital staff person who failed to follow the hospital’s procedure. This woman’s painful experience, as well as similar unfortunate stories, led us to develop a way in which law enforcement agents could better obtain next of kin information.
Recently, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles marked the two year anniversary of this significant legislation with a press release that shed light on its importance to Ohio’s law enforcement community. The database is used by law enforcement entities to contact any individual’s family members should an emergency situation occur. As of today, over 131,000 Ohioans have signed up to be included in the statewide database.
Holders of valid Ohio driver and commercial driver licenses, temporary permits, or state of Ohio identification cards have the option of providing the name and information of the appropriate individual to notify in case of an emergency. While individuals under the age of 18 must provide a parent or guardian as their primary contact, those over 18 are free to submit the names of relatives, friends or co-workers.
Those who are interested in taking part in the Next of Kin database should visit www.bmv.ohio.gov for further information.
