A national program in the United States is sponsored and funded by the Department of Transportation of the United States in which yellow dots are provided free of charge by the transportation departments of several states for people who may need medical attention, as the yellow dots are placed on the rear windows of their motor vehicles to communicate to and direct first responders — such as members of law enforcement, the fire department, medical professionals or other emergency services personnel — to their glove compartments for further information.
A Yellow Dot Could Save Your Life.
Inside of that glove compartment should be a folder, container, or envelope which contains vital information — such as medical conditions and prescriptions — along with a photograph of the person for quick identification.
That yellow dot is a sticker which instantly identifies an occupant of a vehicle who may require special attention during a time of need — such as an emergency — and provides critical medical information which can help save a life within precious seconds.
A participant places a circular yellow sticker on the lower left corner of the driver’s side rear window of his or her motor vehicle and completes a card to place in the glove compartment of his or her vehicle. Vital personal information on the card assists first responders in providing the best care for victims in the event of a crash or other emergency. The information that is provided on the card also helps members of the staff at hospitals arrive at critical decisions in determine exactly which types of medications and treatment to administer.
The first Yellow Dot program in the United States began in Connecticut in 2002 — and it has been gaining ground in more states, such as:
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Nevada
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Washington
- West Virginia
The information on the card includes:
- The name of the participant
- A photograph
- Medical conditions
- Recent surgeries
- Current medications
- Allergies
- Physician information
- Emergency contact information
In addition to the aforementioned twelve states, numerous local jurisdictions within Kansas, New Jersey, and at least eight additional states also participate in the Yellow Dot program — but unfortunately, the state of Illinois has since canceled its participation in the Yellow Dot program.
A Similar Program For People Who Travel — in Purple?
While there is no specific equivalent program to the yellow dot program for people who travel, Kelli Thomas-Drake is an enterprising woman who founded MyPurpleFolder, which “bridges the gap of communication with both physicians and healthcare systems by empowering patients with their own information” in order to simplify the access of medical information for patients, family caregivers and friends, physicians and healthcare systems.
Although the information at the actual Internet web site is rather sparse at this time, it was the signing of an order not to resuscitate her grandmother which led to the idea of MyPurpleFolder, according to this article written by Kim Lachance Shandrow of Fox News. “When her mother battled breast cancer, the Dallas entrepreneur struggled to help the retired psychiatrist keep track of her essential medical data. Somewhere buried within the messy, discombobulated trail of her mom’s health records were the very keys to the critical information needed to make the most informed care decisions possible.”
While MyPurpleFolder is not a free program sponsored by a government — rather, it seems to be a business for profit where a patient does not have to constantly fill out forms every time he or she sees a medical professional — it seems to be the closest to something which a traveler who needs quick access to their vital medical records just in case something unexpected happens.
Final Boarding Call
The Yellow Dot program is a great idea about which I had not heard until almost exactly ten years ago when only ten states were official participants; and I immediately wondered if there was an equivalent program for travelers — especially ones who suffer from severe allergies such as Theo Dana, whose family was asked to leave the aircraft back in 2016 due to a severe allergy to peanuts.
I am also not certain as to what extent MyPurpleFolder is valid in terms of location. Is it only available in the United States?
Perhaps the time has arrived to consider creating a program similar to the Yellow Dot program; but for international travelers. Potential impediments include different medical policies and procedures in different countries and language barriers; but perhaps a program such as this could be vital in the event of an emergency anywhere in the world.
A cursory search on the Internet did not reveal whether or not some sort of program already exists. Do you know of one; and if one does not exist yet, do you believe that it is a potentially good idea?
All photographs ©2015 and ©2026 by Brian Cohen.
