Motorcycle Emergency Information: What Riders Should Carry

Most motorcyclists wouldn't leave home without their helmet, gloves, keys and phone.

But what information are you carrying about yourself?

If you're involved in a motorcycle accident and you're conscious and able to communicate, you can usually answer questions yourself.

Your name. Who should be contacted. Whether you have any important medical information. What medication you take.

But a serious accident can leave a rider confused, disorientated or unable to communicate.

That's when having useful emergency information available can become particularly valuable.

So what information should motorcyclists consider carrying, and how can riders make that information accessible when it matters?

1. Your Name and Basic Identification.

One of the most basic pieces of information is simply who you are.

There are already several ways the authorities may ultimately establish a rider's identity. You might have a driving licence or bank cards in your wallet. Your motorcycle's registration can also provide authorities with another route to investigate.

But identifying someone and having their useful emergency information immediately available aren't necessarily the same thing.

A rider emergency profile can provide a straightforward source of information associated with the person wearing or carrying it.

Useful basic details might include:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Relevant identifying information
• Home town or area, where appropriate

The objective isn't to replace existing identification methods. It's to provide another accessible source of information when the rider cannot provide it themselves.

2. Emergency Contact Details.

Ask yourself a simple question:

If you were involved in a serious motorcycle accident today, would somebody at the scene know who you wanted contacted?

Many of us have hundreds of contacts stored on our phones.

That doesn't necessarily tell somebody which person should be contacted in an emergency.

An emergency profile can clearly identify designated contacts and their relationship to the rider.

For example:

Emergency Contact 1: Partner

Emergency Contact 2: Parent

Emergency Contact 3: Sibling

Including more than one contact can also be useful if the first person cannot immediately be reached.

3. Medical Conditions.

Relevant medical information can be particularly important when somebody cannot communicate for themselves.

A rider may have an existing medical condition that they believe emergency responders should be aware of.

Depending on the individual, this could include conditions such as:

• Diabetes
• Epilepsy
• Heart conditions
• Asthma
• Bleeding disorders
• Previous significant medical procedures
• Other relevant medical conditions

This doesn't mean every detail of your medical history needs to be publicly displayed.

The aim is to make relevant emergency information accessible while allowing the rider to control what information they choose to provide.

4. Allergies.

Allergy information is another detail riders may choose to make available.

This could include known allergies to certain medications, materials or other substances.

For example, a rider might record an allergy to a particular medication in their emergency profile.

Accurate information matters here.

Emergency identification should complement professional medical assessment, not replace it, but giving responders additional information about the person they're treating can still be useful.

5. Current Medication.

Some riders regularly take prescription medication.

If you decide that medication is relevant to emergency treatment, it can be included within your emergency information.

This could include:

• Name of the medication
• Dosage, if appropriate
• Frequency
• Reason for taking it, where relevant

It's also important to keep this information updated.

An emergency profile containing medication you stopped taking two years ago isn't particularly helpful.

If your circumstances change, your emergency information should change with them.

6. Blood Group.

Blood group is commonly associated with emergency identification systems, and riders may choose to record theirs.

However, it's important to understand what this information does — and doesn't — mean.

Hospitals have established procedures for determining blood compatibility before transfusions. A blood group written on a card, sticker or digital profile should therefore never be treated as a substitute for clinical testing.

If you know your blood group and want it recorded as part of your wider emergency profile, you can do so.

Just don't assume displaying it means medical professionals will automatically rely upon it.

7. Information About Your Motorcycle.

Emergency information doesn't necessarily have to stop with the rider.

You may also want to record information relating to your motorcycle, such as:

• Registration
• Make
• Model
• Colour
• Insurance information, where appropriate

This can provide an additional connection between the rider and the motorcycle involved.

Isn't My Phone Enough?

Your smartphone can certainly contain useful information.

Both iPhone and Android devices offer emergency information features that can be configured to display certain details without completely unlocking the phone.

We'd encourage riders to use them.

But relying entirely on a phone has limitations.

A phone can be:

• Damaged during an accident
• Separated from the rider
• Out of battery
• Difficult to locate
• Configured without accessible emergency information

There's nothing wrong with using several methods.

You might configure your phone's emergency medical information and carry a dedicated rider emergency ID.

Emergency preparedness doesn't have to be an either/or decision.

What About My Driving Licence and Wallet?

Another common argument is:

“They'll find my driving licence in my wallet.”

Possibly.

And for establishing identity, that may be perfectly adequate.

But your driving licence doesn't contain a detailed emergency profile.

It doesn't tell somebody which contact you want called.

It doesn't provide a list of information you've chosen to make available for an emergency.

And it doesn't necessarily tell somebody about relevant medical information you may want responders to know.

That's an important distinction.

The purpose of rider emergency information isn't simply:

“This is who I am.”

It's: “This is information I've chosen to make available if I'm unable to communicate.”

Should I Put Emergency Information on My Helmet?

Some motorcycle emergency identification systems use helmet stickers.

The advantage is visibility. A sticker can indicate that emergency information is available without somebody having to search through a rider's pockets. However, riders should never expect somebody to remove a helmet simply to access emergency identification. Helmet removal following an accident should be determined by the circumstances and handled appropriately.

That's one reason having emergency identification available in multiple locations or formats can make sense.

Physical Card, QR Code or NFC?

There are several ways riders can carry emergency information.

Physical Emergency Card

A traditional emergency card can contain information directly on it.

It's simple, but space is limited and changing information usually means replacing or rewriting the card.

QR Code

A QR code can direct someone with a smartphone to a digital emergency profile.

This allows considerably more information to be stored without trying to squeeze everything onto a small card or sticker.

NFC

Near Field Communication, NFC, allows compatible smartphones to interact with an NFC-enabled product simply by bringing the phone close to it.

This provides another convenient way of accessing a digital emergency profile.

Why Use QR and NFC Together?

Neither technology has to replace the other.

Providing more than one access method creates options.

That's why the VEXA Rider Protection Pack uses both NFC and QR technology across its emergency identification products.

What Is VEXA?

VEXA is a motorcycle-focused emergency identification system designed to give riders a way of making their chosen emergency information accessible when they may not be able to communicate.

A rider creates their VEXA emergency profile and chooses the information they want to include.

Their VEXA products then provide access to that profile.

Depending on the VEXA product, access can be provided through NFC, QR code technology, or RIDER ID.

The VEXA Rider Protection Pack includes multiple forms of emergency identification so riders aren't relying on a single item in a single location.

The idea is simple:

Your information. Your emergency contacts. Accessible when you might not be able to speak for yourself.

Don't Just Create It, Keep It Updated.

Carrying emergency information is only useful if that information is accurate.

It's worth periodically checking:

• Are your emergency contact numbers still correct?
• Have you changed medication?
• Has any relevant medical information changed?
• Have you changed motorcycle?
• Is everything you've provided still information you want available?

Treat your emergency profile like another piece of motorcycle safety equipment.

Check it occasionally.

Update it when something changes.

And hopefully, you'll never need it.

Motorcycle Safety Is About Preparing for the Things You Hope Never Happen.

Nobody gets on their motorcycle expecting to have an accident.

We put on helmets despite hoping they'll never hit the ground.

We wear protective clothing despite hoping it'll never have to protect us.

Emergency information follows the same principle.

You prepare it before something happens.

Because after an accident isn't the ideal time to discover that nobody knows who to contact or what information you wanted available.

Carry Your Emergency Information with VEXA

VEXA gives motorcyclists a dedicated emergency profile accessible through rider-focused NFC and QR identification products.

The VEXA Rider Protection Pack provides multiple ways of linking a rider to the emergency information they've chosen to make available.

Set your profile up once, keep your information updated, and carry VEXA whenever you ride.

Because if you can't speak for yourself, your VEXA profile can help provide the information you've chosen to make available.

Frequently Asked Questions.

What emergency information should a motorcyclist carry?

Motorcyclists may want to carry their name, emergency contact details, relevant medical conditions, allergies, medication and other information they believe could be useful if they're unable to communicate following an accident.

Should motorcyclists carry an emergency contact card?

An emergency contact card is one way of making contact information available. Digital emergency identification using QR codes or NFC can provide another option and can allow information to be updated without replacing the physical product.

Is a driving licence enough emergency identification?

A driving licence can help establish identity, but it doesn't contain a rider's complete emergency profile, designated emergency contacts, medications, allergies or other information they may want available.

Can emergency services access my phone after a motorcycle accident?

Modern smartphones can display emergency information without fully unlocking the device if the owner has configured the relevant features. However, phones can become damaged, lost, separated from the rider or run out of battery, so some riders choose to use additional emergency identification.

Should I include my blood type on my motorcycle emergency ID?

You can include your blood group as part of your emergency information if you know it. However, emergency medical professionals follow clinical procedures for blood compatibility, so displayed blood-type information should not be considered a replacement for medical testing.

What is an NFC motorcycle emergency ID?

An NFC motorcycle emergency ID uses Near Field Communication technology to allow a compatible smartphone to interact with an NFC-enabled card, tag, wristband or other product. Systems such as VEXA can use this interaction to provide access to the rider's emergency profile.

Can I update my VEXA emergency information?

Yes. Because VEXA links to a digital rider profile, riders can update their information when circumstances change rather than having to permanently print all of their information directly onto the product.

Is VEXA only useful for riders with medical conditions?

No. Medical information can be particularly valuable for riders who have relevant conditions, allergies or medications, but a VEXA profile can also provide identity information, designated emergency contacts and other rider-selected emergency details.

If the worst happens and a rider cannot speak for themselves, different questions come into play. See our companion guide on what happens after a motorcycle accident when a rider is unable to communicate. To make your own details accessible to first responders, learn about the VEXA motorbike ICE system.