PA Police Embrace “Yellow Dot” Safety Program

10/16/2019

The Municipal Police Officers’ Education & Training Commission (MPOTEC) was established in 1974 to establish certification and training standards for Municipal Police Officers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It was recently decided that police officers in Pennsylvania will now be trained on the Yellow Dot program.

Yellow Dot assists citizens in the “golden hour” of emergency care following a traffic crash when they may not be able to communicate their needs themselves. Placing a Yellow Dot decal in your vehicle's rear window alerts first responders to check your glove compartment for vital information to ensure you receive the needed medical attention as quickly as possible.

The Yellow Dot program was introduced in Pennsylvania in 2013. But in 2017, news stories reported that many first responders were not aware of the program. MPOTEC's embrace of Yellow Dot in their training program will go a long way to making all first responders aware of the program.

The program is a cooperative effort between PennDOT, the state departments of Health and Aging, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, first responders, and local law enforcement.

Citizens complete a participation form online to have PennDOT mail them a Yellow Dot kit. To easily locate this website, type “PennDOT Yellow Dot” into your computer's or smartphone's Internet search engine.

Upon receipt of the kit, participants should complete the information section, which includes emergency contact information, medical history, medications, allergies, and doctors. A photo (showing only the head and shoulders) is then taped to the appropriate location inside the booklet.

The kit should then be placed in the vehicle's glove compartment. The Yellow Dot decal is placed in the lower left corner of the participant’s rear windshield.