Emergency Contact forms - Poll

First main ride of the year coming up and I've something to run past you all. We've been pretty lucky with major incidents on our rides, but have come close in the past. Zigzags fall at Aviemore and my own crash in Canada could have been a lot worse than they were.

In reality, a lot of us don't know much more about each other than forum name and what bike we ride. With this in mind I'm thinking of implementing a mandatory emergency contact form. These would be required for all main calendar rides and would contain actual name, car reg, emergency contact and any pertinent medical info. Those I ride with regularly know I'm diabetic but how many would think to tell emergency services if anything happened? Obviously this information is private and my idea is that these form should be filled in advance and stapled/taped closed with your forum name on the outside. All forms to be given to the ride leader and kept in a ziplock bag unless an incident occurs. At the end of the ride the forms will then be given back. Ride leader should also bring spare forms for those that don't bother/forget to bring them.

I realise this is a bit of a step for us, but it's common place on motorbike meets and MTB guiding companies I've used.
I'm not going to force it on you hence the poll, but we will go with the majority opinion. I'll give you until Baltic Bawbags to discuss and answer.

Are you talking adopted nationally?

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Just up here.
Up to other areas and AECs to decide for themselves.

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This was already part of what where the Nationals in previous years. Name, emergency contact, bike make and model.
Makes sense though it was on one sheet.
Better to take a picture of it on a phone as well for backup.

But we don't do it on our area group.

(I've not voted on this of course as not our area)

It's just sensible really.


I'm speaking as one that had to be taken to hospital in an Ambulance on a National Retroride.

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i have a twist cannister thing on the rucksack;with a phone no in
and my bis card; if you put things on a formal footing it may put folks off[no helmet no ride]
witness the odd quote on that :roll:
a good idea you have though maybe just a bare minimum of information
the north yorks area;most of us have a few nos from each other' i would give it a thumbs up myself.

Mandatory means they must fill in a form or they don't get to ride. Poll asking if it should be mandatory seems wrong way to me. Strongly encouraging riders to fill out form is a good idea but saying they have too will be viewed by some as Big Brother Nanny State which does irk some people. I think the idea is sensible but feel it could be worded better. Other than that I say Aye !

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Seems like a sensible idea to me, if something happened to me out on a ride i'd want it to be easy for those with me to be able to contact my loved ones to let them know that i was alright if I wasn't able to. As for the potential for people to be irked by the "nanny state" side of it i'd say get over yourself, it's a sensible precaution you're not handing over your bank details. I would hope that none of us still hold on to the idea that we are somehow invincible. But having said that it should still be up to the individual to decide whether they want to enter in to it or not so making it mandatory may not be the right way to go.

velomaniac":xxhmky1g said:

Mandatory means they must fill in a form or they don't get to ride. Poll asking if it should be mandatory seems wrong way to me. Strongly encouraging riders to fill out form is a good idea but saying they have too will be viewed by some as Big Brother Nanny State which does irk some people. I think the idea is sensible but feel it could be worded better. Other than that I say Aye !

Click to expand...

I think we're just talking the phone number of a family member in the event of accident. Maybe a laminated card with said number on it ,which you hand over at the start to the ride leader and its returned at the end.

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Yes, mandatory would mean no form no ride.
I can't see any good reason not to. I don't want to be the person phoning an ambulance with no details of who the casualty is.
In my opinion if you want to benefit from being part of the group ride then filling in a form is a small ask. As for putting people off, I hardly see it as an issue. I'd be more worried about meeting a stranger in a forestry car park that doesn't want me to know who they are :shock:

Like I said, it's only an idea and all opinions are encouraged. If it's not the will of the people then that's fine.

I spotted this when you first posted it Clubby and I've been mulling it over since. Still haven't really come down on an answer yet though. :?

On the one hand it seems like a good idea to have the info available, and there can be no harm if it's in a sealed envelope only opened in event of a mishap.

But on the other hand, it seems like it's all getting a bit serious if we are taking contact details, policing who can ride etc.

So as I say, I'm not really sure. Perhaps we should be taking our lead from John on this. Have you mentioned it to him?