Q
I recently read that the majority of kids under the age of 16 don't carry any identification. My friend Kris said that there is a problem with this because of lost and missing kids not having ID and kids showing up at emergency rooms without ID. Is this a real problem that we need to be concerned about? Kris mentioned "Tracker" for kids that allows our kids to carry confidential ID. Do you know anything about "Tracker" and what advice could you give us?
A
Unfortunately, the area of child safety and ID's is much more of a problem than we would like to imagine. Recent statistics show that each year 31.5 million children ages 14 and under have accidental injuries. 13 million require medical attention. 85 percent of these kids are found with no identification to notify their folks.
Many child safety advocates have argued that any child ID should not be visible or easily accessible to others; the fear of child abduction has spawned these fears.
I have not been able to find out information about "Tracker" but I will give you three superb resources that can provide you with countless resources (including ID systems) and information about this topic:
World Net Fundraising 1-800-244-7615
http/www.fund-raising.com/worldnet/"
SAFE-T-CHILD, Inc. 1-512-288-2882
http://yellodyno.safe-t-child.com/index.html
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 1-800-THE-LOST
http://www.missingkids.org/
I'm sure these resources will give you all the information you need.