Tuesday, July 10, 2012

RoadID plus Google Voice

I have been wearing a Road ID for a couple of years. While I have not had a serious accident I have had accidents. Just last year I crashed on the bike, split my helmet and cracked my collar bone. Immediately after the crash I was a bit confused. I was with friends and I was able to orient myself quickly. But what if I was unconscious? These are my cycling buddies. I know them very well. We have ridden thousands of miles together. But you know what? I don’t know any of their emergency contact information. This is where the Road ID is very helpful. Almost all of us wear them.

RoadID_compare01

But this year, my emergency contact number changed. I needed to update my information. Road ID does offer an interactive version of their bracelet. You can keep your emergency information up on their servers. The first responder just has to call the toll free number to get your information. For me, that is an extra step and there is a reoccurring fee after the first year.

RoadID_compare02

But I still needed a new bracelet.  But this time I was smart. I used a Google voice permanent phone number. This is a free service from Google that provides a phone number that you can keep forever AND define what numbers it forwards to! Most people use them so that one number can be dialed and all of your phones ring.  You can have your office, home, cell phone, etc. all ring at once. You can alter which phones ring and what times of the day they ring. You can even have different callers forwarded to different numbers. You can alter these preferences at any time. I have a Google voice number for my coaching business. It will ring my cell phone most of the time but you will get voice mail after hours.

So this time I was smart and I got a Google voice number for my emergency contact number. This number will stay with me forever and I can have it forwarded to any number that I want. On top of that I can have it forward to multiple numbers at the same time. This way someone that cares for me will always be able to respond to an accident.

roadid

My RoadID – Shut Up Legs!

On top of that, I can change the number for when I travel. When I am visiting my father in Texas I can go on a bike ride and have his cell phone ring.  There is not much help that someone in Mississippi can provide. So I simply change the forwarding number to my father’s when I am visiting.

I believe in having emergency contact information on my body and now that information is more versatile and permanent. I hope no one needs to call my loved ones on my behalf but now they should always be able to get ahold of someone.

4 comments:

Keith said...

Now that is a super idea! The google voice thing, I mean. I've been wearing Road ID for every outdoor workout for years now, though come to think of it, if I breath the wrong time in the pool and they haul me out unconscious, how do they know who they've got? hmmm.
Next time my contact numbers need to change I'll be doing this.

Ransick said...

Great idea with Google voice. I have a number that I don't use except when I can use an iIP phone internationally. Next time I order a Road ID, I'll have to do this.

TriMOEngr said...

I need to order a RoadID. It is on my perpetual to do list. I'm glad you posted this as I didn't know anything about Google Voice, but what a cool way to keep phone information accurate. And good point to have it ring differently on vacation or other trip.

IAmDougsBloggerAccount said...

In the scaled down version of the picture of your Road ID your Google Voice number is clearly legible.

A coworker suggested this and when I Google'd the idea your site came up.