I often think about how important it is to have In Case of Emergency (ICE) in your phone. If you don’t think it is, think again. It may be the only way authorities know who to contact in the event of, well, an emergency. I know first-hand ICE works and police and emergency medical personnel do check your phone for it. A little over two years ago, my Mom went for a run in the park and none of us knew she would never come back. If it wasn’t for her having me as an ICE contact in her phone, who knows how long it may have taken for the police officer who arrived on the scene to find out who to call. I was able to alert my family within minutes of the police finding her and we knew exactly which hospital to go to. No question of who my Mom was or who to contact. It breaks my heart that my Mom passed away on that day, but I am thankful we were notified as soon as possible thanks to her ICE contacts in her phone. Until then, I had never thought about ICE, but you can bet it’s in my phone now. And my phone is password protected, which would do me next to no good in an emergency situation. So, what do you do when ICE isn’t enough? Get the Road ID App!
Having suffered a blood clot in my leg (DVT) and lung (PE) just over a year ago, I’m faced with a potentially life-threatening medical condition if I find myself in a dangerous situation. I am taking blood thinners, which means if I were to get in an accident – a car wreck, slip on the ice and hit my head while running, or get knocked unconscious for some reason – not only would I be at a higher risk of bleeding to death than someone not on blood thinners, but medics would have to treat me differently from the start. My ICE contacts know about my medical condition, medication and history of blood clots – but they’re locked away in my phone. My mom’s phone was easily accessible. Mine is not. Is yours?
I usually wear or carry a medical ID/alert tag with me, but there are times I don’t. The one thing I do always carry with me is my cell phone. You can pretty much bet where you find my phone, you will find me – right?! But it won’t do me any good if I can’t speak for myself and my phone is locked with no way to access it. I recently discovered that the Road ID (yes, the same people that make the ID bracelets) has a free app designed to not only let your ICE contacts be known regardless of a phone lock, but keep you safe on the run too.
Using a simple photo feature, you can create a lock screen that has your name, location (if you want it) and up to three ICE contacts and their relation to you. There is also a place to include important information. You can include as little or as much information as you want to. Mine looks something like this:
What if you don’t have a medical condition to worry about? You just never know, that’s what I would say to you. My Mom was healthier than she had ever been in her life and something still happened on her run (or shortly thereafter) that caused her to become unresponsive. She could not speak for herself. I read stories (more often than I want to) about runners and cyclists getting hit by cars. What would you do if that happened to you – or someone you love – and it comes down to a life or death situation that required immediate action? Put ICE in your phone and at least consider changing your lock screen when you are out on a workout if you don’t want it there all the time. I keep mine there all the time because of my medical history.
The second feature of the Road ID app is the eCrumb (or electronic breadcrumb) tracking feature that I also find invaluable to runners, walkers, cyclists and anyone who may be out and about on their workout.
Basically, what it does is tell someone (via text directly from the app) that you are going for a run. YOU set a timer for how long you anticipate being out (don’t worry; you can add time as you go right from your phone). You can notify up to five people of your run and they can track you in real time via a text link that is sent to them. They do not need to have the app.
Let’s say you’re out on your run and you stop moving for more than five minutes, the app will send the person (or people) on your list a notification that you stopped moving via a message you can customize. This feature comes with a very load alarm that lets you know if you have been inactive for five minutes so you can extend the time (or disable the alarm) and the text will not go out (like if you stop for a restroom break and it takes longer than five minutes). Road ID suggests you customize the alert message to say something like, “Please call or text me to see if I’m okay” in case an unintentional alert is sent out. I have told my husband if he calls or texts after an alert message and he doesn’t get an answer back in a couple of minutes, something is wrong! With the alert, the app sends a link to your contacts (that you sent the “I’m going for a run/bike ride” message to in the first place) with the last known location and tracks your phone for the next 30 minutes after the alert is sent out. The eCrumb tracking location services update about every minute while you are using the app.
It’s free. And to me it is invaluable for the peace of mind. Two messages could mean the difference between help in an emergency and no help “I’m going for a run” and “Something is/might be wrong.” We do it anyway by leaving notes at home or texting a family member to say we are going out for a run, but why not have an actual way to find us now if the worst circumstance occurs? Road ID suggests this app not replace your physical Road ID, but it is a tool to be used in conjunction with your wristband in case you would get separated from your phone in the event of an emergency. If you download the app, Road ID will send you a coupon to use for a Road ID.
What is your safety and the safety of your loved ones worth to you? Take a moment to think about it and consider downloading this app. Currently it is only available for iPhone, but Road ID is working on an Android version too.
Tell me about you. Do you carry some sort of ID with you when you run? Would people be able to access your ICE contacts in an emergency? Have you used this app or a similar one? Will you? Do you have a Road ID or will you consider getting one? Do you tell someone when you are going for a run or ride?
Until the next mile marker,
Follow
