About a month ago I took my bike out for a training ride. I was on the wide shoulder of a rural road in the middle of the day. To look at it, you would think it was the safest road in the world for bikes, yet, I was struck by a car...the driver was not paying attention. I was thrown 27 feet, landing in the middle of the road. I tried to crawl to safety, but fell unconscious. The next thing I remember was being loaded onto a Maryland State Police Medivac helicopter and then flown to the regional trauma center.The only ID I had on me was my Road ID bracelet. It contained the vitals necessary for the EMTs to know who I was, who to contact and other critical info to help save my life. Every lifesaver involved commented about how smart I was to have this ID and how much it helped. Otherwise, they said, I would have been a "Brendan Doe" (living version of John Doe). Without this ID, it could have been hours or longer before my family would have known where I was or what happened.
I had a concussion, three badly broken ribs and a collapsed lung. I spent 5 days in the hospital and never took off my Road ID. Since then, I've been telling everyone about Road ID, and I think everyone should get one! There is no such thing as a "safe" road or trail. Don't leave home without a Road ID!
- Bob .H from Hughesville, MD
