Sec. 4501.81. (A) The bureau of motor vehicles shall | 14 |
establish a database of the next of kin of persons who are issued | 15 |
and driver's licenses, commercial driver's licenses, temporary | 16 |
instruction permits, motorcycle operator's licenses and | 17 |
endorsements, and identification cards. Information in the | 18 |
database shall be accessible only to employees of the bureau and | 19 |
to criminal justice agencies and is not a public record for | 20 |
purposes of section 149.43 of the Revised Code. | 21 |
(B) AnWhen an individual holding a valid Ohiosubmits an | 22 |
application to the registrar of motor vehicles or a deputy | 23 |
registrar for a driver's license, commercial driver's license, | 24 |
temporary instruction permit, motorcycle operator's license or | 25 |
endorsement, or identification card, or renewal of any of them, | 26 |
the individual shall be afforded the opportunity tofurnished with | 27 |
a next of kin information form on which the individual may list | 28 |
the name, address, telephone number, and relationship to the | 29 |
individual of at least one contact person whom the individual | 30 |
wishes to be contacted if the individual is involved in a motor | 31 |
vehicle accident or emergency situation and the individual dies or | 32 |
is seriously injured or rendered unconscious and is unable to | 33 |
communicate with the contact person. The contact person may or may | 34 |
not be the next of kin of the applicant, except that if the | 35 |
applicant is under eighteen years of age and is not emancipated, | 36 |
the contact person shall include the parent, guardian, or | 37 |
custodian of the applicant. | 38 |
The form described in this division shall inform the | 39 |
individual that, after completing the form, the individual may | 40 |
return the form to the registrar or any deputy registrar, each of | 41 |
whom shall accept the form from the individual without payment of | 42 |
any fee. The form also shall contain the mailing address of the | 43 |
bureau, to which the individual may mail the completed form, and | 44 |
also instructions whereby the individual may furnish the | 45 |
information described in this division to the registrar through | 46 |
use of the internet. | 47 |
(D) In the event of a motor vehicle accident or emergency | 58 |
situation in which a person dies or is seriously injured or | 59 |
rendered unconscious and is unable to communicate with the contact | 60 |
person specified in the database, an employee of a criminal | 61 |
justice agency shall make a good faith effort to notify the | 62 |
contact person of the situation, but neither the bureau of motor | 63 |
vehicles nor the employee nor the criminal justice agency that | 64 |
employs that employee incurs any liability if the employee is not | 65 |
able to make contact with the contact person. | 66 |