COLUMBUS (AP) - Parents who campaigned for an Ohio next-of-kin registry are disappointed with the response to the program, launched in September.
Officials say 100,000 people have taken advantage of the free database by submitting information on loved ones to be contacted in case of emergency. Ohioans may register at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles office or on the agency's Web site (www.bmv.ohio.gov).
Linda Wuestenberg of suburban Columbus was one of the parents who pushed for the program after it took authorities seven hours to track her down after her son's 2007 car crash. She never had time to say goodbye at the hospital where he died.
Wuestenberg says she expected five times as many signups by now. She's now speaking to groups to raise awareness of the registry.
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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com
Copyright The Associated Press 2009
