Review: Emergency Links Matter

Full disclosure: This product was given to me without charge. I do not make a commission or any compensation from the sale of this product.

I had the pleasure of meeting with Deb Maupin, owner of Emergency Links Matter (ELM). Deb has a unique business that offers several different items to put in/on your vehicle you were involved in a serious car accident. I’m going to highlight some of her products in a minute, but first, I want you to hear from Deb why she started her company.

The History of ELM

ELM was developed after our 18 year old daughter was critically injured in a car crash on August 23, 2002. Unconscious and unable to verbally respond to emergency personnel, law enforcement attempted to reach us through the address on her driver’s license but unfortunately no one was at home that afternoon! After reaching the trauma hospital, miraculously, an emergency room nurse that I had worked with in the past recognized Emily. That put into action a series of phone calls that resulted in notifying her father of her critical status and location, almost 3 hours after her accident occurred. Without this incredible fortune, it would have been much longer before anyone reached home that day to hear the answering machine message: “This is the emergency room and this is an emergency, PLEASE CALL!”

That’s a powerful story and understandably, Deb is very passionate about what she does. So, let me show you some of the cool products she has out there.

 Car Visor ID Review

The first product which you see above is the Car Visor ID. It is a sleeve with 2 elastic bands which slip over your car visor. Inside the sleeve you get a contact card that you can fill out with several pieces of contact information. It even comes with the permanent marker! You’ll also get a wallet-size ID card and a couple reflective ELM stickers to put on your bumper so rescuers know to look for those contact cards.

Car Seat ID Review

The next product is the Car Seat ID. This a great idea because car seats change cars. You never know who’s car your child might be in during a wreck (heaven forbid!). So, that’s why having the car set ID is helpful because it goes wherever the car seat goes. It comes with similar items as the Car Visor ID. You get a blank contact card, a permanent marker, and a reflective sticker.

Sport Band ID Review

Finally, to round it all out. You can get the Sports ID. It’s essentially a wrist band, but it has a sleeve to put your contact card in. When we’re involved in sports activities, we don’t usually have our wallet on us. So if you’re running down the road or riding your bike and something happens, you have something practical on and useful in the event of an emergency.

Why ELM?

You might be thinking to yourself that this is a great product and kudos to Deb for her ambition, but you don’t think it’s that important. Here’s my 100% guarantee to you. I can guarantee you that you’re not planning on being in a serious car accident, but neither is anyone else for that matter. Yet they happen every day.

As a Paramedic that has seen my share of tragedies, let me give you some insight into what happens on the scene of a wreck.

• We show up on scene, and if you’re in bad shape, we have only one concern. That concern is fixing you up. Calling your family is the police and hospital’s problem. We’re not going to waste time looking all over your car for info.
• We get you out of the car and what you have on you is what we take. Even then, sometimes we cut your clothes off and leave it on scene.
• Your car was in a pretty bad wreck, do you really think things are still laying in the same place? Your contact info could be hiding under your seat or gotten thrown out the window and into the ditch.
• Sure, people stop by and might recognize you or your car, but does that mean they know your spouse’s office or cell phone number?

As you can see, there’s a lot of variables and those are just a few of them. If you’re like most people, you still might not understand the value of ELM. Unfortunately, usually it requires people to have experienced a tragedy like this before they understand the need. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Deb has done a great job of communicating with police, fire, and EMS about her product. Chances are, the person who shows up on a wreck in the greater Knoxville area will have their eyes trained to spot an ELM product.

Visit ELM, get your car kit, and be prepared!