PHOTO CREDIT: JAMESJOHNSONART MARINA_PH
Cycle with full ID, just in case
BY SHEILA ASCROFT It was during the split second before my helmet hit the
pavement that I thought: hope my helmet stays in place, hope nobody runs me over, hope someone can identify me…
Fortunately everything turned out
OK – this time. But as I lay in the road with car tires swishing pass my head, I knew I’d been lucky. What if I had been hit? Had a concussion? Would anyone know who I was? Would they find my emergency contact information? Would they know I had health insurance? Or that I’m diabetic? Even though I carry a home-made emergency card inside my seat bag, would it be enough? Probably not. As I struggled home with a broken helmet, bent shifter, ripped tights and a sprained thumb, I realized I needed to be a smarter cyclist. After I cleaned up, I searched for that old card in the seat bag. It was there – what was left of it – partially disintegrated, water stained and ink- smudged. Sometime back over the past few seasons I’d been caught in the rain and apparently my seat bag had been soaked. In short, the card was pretty much useless. Dumb. And, would someone even think
to search my seat bag in the first place?
TIME TO RETHINK SAFETY I knew about MedicAlert bracelets and had considered one back when the doc said “diabetes.” But those bracelets are ugly, pricey and seemed awfully, well, medical. Made me feel like an invalid, not an athlete. I had seen ads aimed at non-invalids in Bicycling magazine
www.ottawaoutdoors.ca
or shoe pouch. I checked out the details online and then bought the wrist sport model. Unlike the basic version, which shows just your name and emergency contacts, I chose the interactive upgrade. This lets me load it up with my name, an alert about my diabetes
know who to contact, know your medical history or what medications you take? Safety should be your own responsibility. So, my attitude now is I’d rather wear ID and never need it than to need ID and not have it! It could save your life. /OO First published on
www.womenscycling.ca by Sheila.
ottawaoutdoors 29
about something called RoadID. I’d just never paid much attention until now. Road ID is designed for athletes and comes in different styles so you can just about wear it anywhere: bracelets for wrist and ankle, dog tags around your neck, and a Velcro strap for your shoe laces
and asthma, and a special phone number and website for first responders to access my medical history, medications, family doctor, emergency contacts and any temporary medical problems. Each Road ID has an individual serial and pin number that is the access code to the medical information. I can update all this info anytime I want. Road ID is run by the father- and-son team of Edward and Mike Wimmer in Kentucky. They think carrying an ID should be as common, and as important, as putting on a seat belt in a car or strapping on a helmet before a bike ride. Even if you don’t ride solo, your friends may not be able to help much in an accident. Would they
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77