are all your ducks in a row?

it's a new year. time to take care of business -- check the batteries in your smoke detector, change the furnace filter, and update your emergency contact information.

what's that you ask? yes, update your emergency contact information.

this hits home for me this year because ever since my mother died, my emergency contact had been my sister, Susan. well, Susan recently moved to Fiji, so I had to think long and hard about who I could depend on if I were in an emergency situation.

here's a little advice I've learned over the years.

family is usually a good choice for an emergency contact. even if they don't like you, they'll usually take care of you if you're injured or ill.

boyfriends or girlfriends are never good choices -- they come and go.

so in my case, with no family, I chose my best friend.

make sure to ask the person you'd like to be your contact if they would do it. I recall sitting in the ER with a young lady who had crashed on a ride I was leading. she didn't have her health insurance card or a credit card so I ended up paying for her visit and her prescriptions. then, her contact was a random on-line dating guy she'd met once in person six months prior -- probably not the best choice!

then, be very clear with them what you expect. you could even give them medical records, prescription information, and your health care proxy. if you have a pet at home, make sure they know how to take care of it.

in addition to carrying your health insurance info, meds info, credit card, etc with you when you ride (on your body, not your bike), I recommend the no-brainer solution -- Road ID. get one. today. throw it on your shoe or keep it with your helmet. and never leave home alone!