ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It’s a parent’s worst nightmare that Manatee County resident Christine Olson doesn’t want anyone else to have to experience.
Olson’s daughter, Tiffany, was killed in a motorcycle crash on U.S. 19 in 2005 just 15 minutes from Olson’s home. While the entire situation played out just a couple of miles away, Olson was not notified for over 6 hours.
Law enforcement didn’t have a way to find her, she said.
Following Tiffany’s death, Olson created TIFF’s initiative, which stands for To Inform Families First. The program created a way to link emergency contact information directly to a Florida driver's license.
“The national average is 6 hours before someone is reached and notified,” Olson said. “I know this firsthand and it was 6 1/2 for me and my daughter was killed 15 minutes away from my home.”
Before TIFF’s initiative was created, law enforcement typically went to the address listed on the victim's driver's license. If that address was not correct or no one was home, officers would often struggle to notify the correct person in a timely manner. The process is as simple as updating your information online.
Olson says since the program first started 17 years ago, roughly 20 million people have emergency contact information linked to the driver's licenses. But if you got your Florida license before 2006 or have outdated contact information listed, that’s where the trouble lies. Right now, similar programs are in 18 states but Olson’s next goal is to get the initiative in all 50.
“I am looking for champions of change to help me get this across the country,” she said.
In hopes of raising awareness about the TIFF initiative, the Sunshine Skyway is shining in purple from Oct. 16 to Oct. 21. Olson saw the bridge illuminated by boat on Thursday night and says the experience took her breath away.
"When that bridge illuminates it's jaw dropping… it’s just unbelievable,” she said.
To update your emergency contact information on your driver's license or state ID, complete the prompts on TIFF's website.