Overview of the Yellow Dot Program

The Yellow Dot Program alerts first responders in an emergency to critical medical information that could save a life. This program is particularly beneficial for people with chronic medical conditions, special needs, dementia, or severe allergies. The program is implemented in over 20 states across the USA, including Pennsylvania, Kansas, Illinois, New York, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arizona, Georgia, and now, Indiana.

How It Works

Participants help emergency responders make split-second decisions by placing a completed Yellow Dot personal information form in the vehicle's glove compartment and the Yellow Dot decal in the lower-left corner of the driver’s side rear window.

Packet Contents

Yellow Dot Emergency Medical Information form, Yellow Dot envelope, vehicle decal, and Benefits and Risks Information document.

Medical Information Form

Fill out the included Medical Information form, including your name, emergency contact information, medical history, medications, and allergies. Attach a recent photo. After completing the form and attaching the photo, place the form and photo in the Yellow Dot envelope (do NOT seal it) and store it in your vehicle's glove compartment.

Yellow Dot Decal

The packet includes a Yellow Dot Decal. Place the Yellow Dot decal on the driver's side rear window of your vehicle. This decal alerts first responders to check the glove compartment for the corresponding Yellow Dot envelope containing the medical information.

Benefits & Risks Information

The packet includes a document that outlines the known benefits and risks of this program. That information is also on this webpage below.

Emergency Access

In the event of a car crash or medical emergency, first responders will see the Yellow Dot and know to look for the envelope in the glove compartment. This envelope contains crucial information that can help them provide appropriate medical care quickly.

Benefits & Risks of the Yellow Dot program

Benefits

• Enables rapid and appropriate care. The Yellow Dot alerts first responders to your medical details in the glove compartment, allowing informed treatment decisions.
• Supports those with complex needs, including chronic conditions, special needs, dementia, or severe allergies. This ensures first responders are aware of hidden conditions, preventing misdiagnosis or complications. Include this information in the form.
• If you can't communicate after a crash—due to unconsciousness or confusion—the program shares vital health details for you.
• Simple and free. All materials are provided at no cost.
• Provides peace of mind by ensuring emergency personnel can quickly access essential medical information for you and your family.

Risks

• Risk of information theft: Because the decal is on the driver's side rear window and the form is kept in the glove compartment, someone could potentially steal your information. Additionally, you risk losing these materials if the vehicle is totaled or towed. To reduce this risk, do not include your Social Security number or bank information on this form.
• Risk to safety. Since the decal is placed on the driver’s side rear window, there is a safety concern that those with malicious intent may recognize the Yellow Dot identifier. Such individuals could potentially target participants they perceive as vulnerable due to deafness or hearing impairment, being minors, or advanced age. This creates a risk that participants will be followed, tracked, or otherwise harmed in attempts to exploit these perceived vulnerabilities.
• Medical information can become outdated. The program's accuracy depends on your ability to keep the information up to date. If you do not update the card with new medications, surgeries, or other medical changes, first responders may be misled and could make incorrect treatment decisions based on old information. (Please use a pencil for this reason.) New decals or complete packets can be picked up at your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA) or your nearest Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV).
  • To ensure information is up to date, you can download the Yellow Dot medical information form at www.in.gov/fssa/ddars/bba and keep an updated copy in your glovebox.
• Vulnerability in specific emergency scenarios: If your vehicle is inaccessible, such as in a fire or submerged in water, the information in the glove box may become unretrievable or destroyed. Therefore, it is also recommended to store this information on a mobile phone, if possible, to ensure accessibility during emergencies.
• The Yellow Dot program is not active in every state. If you are in an accident in a state without the program, local emergency responders may not know to look for the decal or your medical information in the glove compartment, which could delay care.
• Vehicle-specific. The Yellow Dot information is only accessible to first responders if the envelope is present in that vehicle. If your family uses multiple vehicles, you may need packets for each one. Without the Yellow Dot decal on the vehicle and the envelope inside the vehicle, responders won't have access to the medical details during emergencies.