What Yellow Dot On The Window Means

If you're ever in a serious motor-vehicle crash or other life-threatening emergency, there is a way to communicate vital personal medical information about you or your loved ones without ever saying a word.

Yellow Dot is a free program that will alert emergency medical technicians (EMTs) or other first responders to potentially critical medical information that could help save your life or that of a loved one.

Here's how the program works: Just put the Yellow Dot sticker on the driver's side rear-window of your vehicle. Then, fill out the personal/medical information card for you and for those family/friends who frequently travel in the vehicle.

Officials say it's a simple process, but can be critical in the 'golden hour', the 60 minute window immediately after a crash or other emergency:

In the case of a serious medical emergency, the Yellow Dot signals the fire responder to seek out that critical information but simply checking the Yellow Dot card that is in the vehicle's glove box.

Oneida County Sheriff Rob Maciol shared the information on Yellow Dot, which is being distributed in New York State through the state Sheriff's Association. The NYS Sheriff's Association says it has already distributed 2 million Yellow Dot sticker decals to Empire State residents.

To request one, simply visit NYsheriff.org/yellowdot/

Each kit comes with two Yellow Dot decals and two information cards.