Yellow Dot Program helps seniors alert emergency responders
SCRANTON Have you ever seen a vehicle with a yellow dot on the back windshield? The “dot” is actually a yellow sticker purposely placed on the windshield to assist citizens in need. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation created the Yellow Dot program, which is modeled after one in Alabama, in November 2012 to alert emergency responders that contact and medical information is in the glove box of a vehicle involved in an accident.
Emergency responders check the glove box following a traffic accident when the person driving is not able to communicate their needs themselves. The program is now a cooperative effort among the Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation, Health and Aging; the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and First Responders and local law enforcement.
In order to sign up for the program participants complete a personal information form, which includes the participant’s name, contact information, emergency contact information, medical history and medications, allergies and the participant’s doctors’ names. A photo, showing only the participant’s head and shoulders, is then taped to the front of the completed information sheet.
The yellow dot decal provided in the program kit is placed in the lower left corner of the participant’s vehicle’s rear windshield. This decal alerts first responders that vital information can be found in the vehicle. Finally, place the completed information sheet, with the attached picture, into the Yellow Dot folder, and then place the folder into the vehicle’s glove box.
To learn more or to register for this free service visit www.yellowdot.pa.gov.