Minnesota teen helps create new law to put caretaker info on driving records
14-year-old Makena Prevost with Corcoran Police Sgt. Pete Ekenberg and State Rep. Kristin Robbins
Courtesy Minnesota Department of Public Safety
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Getting in a car accident is terrifying. Especially if you end up injured. Hundreds of thoughts are running through your head. Is everyone okay? Will I be able to drive my car? Am I going to be out of work?
But for the Minnesotans who are primary caregivers for someone else, they’re not only worrying about themselves but also the person or people who rely on them for care.
Well, now some of those worries can be lifted off the shoulders of caretakers thanks to the work of a 14-year-old Corcoran girl. Makena Prevost helped create a law that passed this session. In the event of a crash, when law enforcement runs a caretaker’s license, officers will know that there is someone at home who is dependent on the caretaker.
It’s believed to be the first of its kind in the country. Prevost and Jody-Kay Peterson with DVS joined MPR News guest host Emily Bright.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
INTERVIEWER: Well, getting into a car accident, that's terrifying, especially if you end up injured. Hundreds of thoughts are running through your head. Is everyone OK? Will I be able to drive my car? Am I going to be out of work?
But for Minnesotans who are primary caregivers for someone else, they're not just worrying about themselves, also the person or people that rely on them for care. Well, now, some of those worries can be lifted off their shoulders of caretakers thanks to the work of a 14-year-old Corcoran girl, Makena Prevost.
She helped create a law that passed this session where, in the event of a crash when law enforcement runs a caretaker's license, officers will know there's someone at home who is dependent on that caretaker. It is believed to be the first of its kind in the country. Makena joins us now along with DVS program director Jody-Kay Peterson. Hello to you both.
SUBJECT: Hi.
JODY-KAY PETERSON: Hi. Thanks for having me.
INTERVIEWER: Makena, first of all, congratulations on helping create such an important law. Tell us how you came up with this idea.
SUBJECT: Well, this all started as a result of my interest in earning my Silver Award for Girl Scouts.
INTERVIEWER: OK.
SUBJECT: And I was just brainstorming multiple ideas for this project. And actually, my mom suggested doing something that personally affects my family. And I have siblings with special needs and a grandmother with Alzheimer's. And we were just thinking, what would happen if the people who took care of them got knocked unconscious or killed in a car accident? What would happen? Would someone know to go and help them?
INTERVIEWER: Yeah. So a law sounds like that could help your family or families like yours?
SUBJECT: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: So once you had this idea, where did you go next to make it happen?
SUBJECT: We went to the local police department to speak with one of the officers to see if they could somehow help get this idea out there.
INTERVIEWER: OK. So, Jody-Kay, when you first heard about this idea, what did you think?
JODY-KAY PETERSON: Oh, I thought it was amazing. And it was perfect timing too as well, because when it came across to my desk, it came from Bill Hamas with our office of traffic safety, and it was perfect timing because it came through on a Friday. And here, the DVS leadership team was meeting on a Monday to put together our legislative items for the 2023 session.
So it was perfect timing. And I thought that this is something that would make its place, because we have a driver's license emergency contact form, and adding an option for something like that for us to list a primary caregiver could find its place on the form. So it was just perfect timing, and we brought this forward to our leadership team, and we discussed it, and it was added as one of the items that DVS would bring forward for the 2023 session.
INTERVIEWER: Well, that's so great. And good things coming through on a Friday afternoon, that's always nice to hear about. So what's been the response so far now that this law has been implemented?
JODY-KAY PETERSON: We've had some good responses from it, where we're seeing applications form. Our Minnesotans are able to fill that information out to us because the provision enables caretakers to add the information of up to three people for whom they're responsible to their DVS records so that we can share that with law enforcement in a critical event, such as an emergency. So we've seen folks adding information, and when they come into our offices, we do bring that up as an item. Hey, is this something that you'd like to add today to your DVS record?
INTERVIEWER: That is so helpful. So what information exactly pops up when officers pull up the license of a caretaker?
JODY-KAY PETERSON: When the license is run in the law enforcement system, it does alert them, there is just a notification in their system that this person that you have is responsible for, and it lists the individual's name and the address of where that person would be located at.
INTERVIEWER: OK. So just for people who are listening, what do people who are caretakers need to do to make sure that information is part of their license? And is it going to be part of a normal renewal? Or is there an application process?
JODY-KAY PETERSON: Yes. So there is a form. And that can be located at drive.mn.gov. It is currently called the Autism Spectrum Mental Health Emergency Caretaker Contact Form. Now, an agent will, when they come in to apply or to renew, the agent will bring up this information as something you want to add, if they already have it, is it something you want to change.
And so there's a form, this form that I just mentioned, they'll give that to the individual, or they can just print it from online too, and bring that in, and fill it out, and submit it with their application. And then once that's turned in, it is added to the record of the individual.
INTERVIEWER: And so just to restate-- when you show up to renew your driver's license, you can take care of it then?
JODY-KAY PETERSON: Correct. Now, on the first initial try, you fill out the application, but any edits later on, that can be made online at drive.mn.gov.
INTERVIEWER: Good. That's really helpful. So, Makena, I want to get back to you. I hear you have hopes to expand this program.
SUBJECT: Yes. So when I initially started doing this, I wanted to include a broader range of care receivers, like people with Alzheimer's and dementia, someone with a traumatic brain injury, maybe even like a quadriplegic or a paraplegic, but only autism and mental health got put in. But that's OK. But what I'm going to do is hopefully for my Gold Award, broaden it to include those people.
INTERVIEWER: I was just going to say, that is perfect fodder for your Gold Award. And it helps people.
SUBJECT: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: Well, Makena, congratulations on launching such an important project. And thank you both for talking with me today.
JODY-KAY PETERSON: Thank you so much.
SUBJECT: Thank you.
INTERVIEWER: That was 14-year-old Makena Prevost, who helped create a new law that puts caretaker information on driver's licenses, and Jody-Kay Peterson is with the department of vehicle services.
But for Minnesotans who are primary caregivers for someone else, they're not just worrying about themselves, also the person or people that rely on them for care. Well, now, some of those worries can be lifted off their shoulders of caretakers thanks to the work of a 14-year-old Corcoran girl, Makena Prevost.
She helped create a law that passed this session where, in the event of a crash when law enforcement runs a caretaker's license, officers will know there's someone at home who is dependent on that caretaker. It is believed to be the first of its kind in the country. Makena joins us now along with DVS program director Jody-Kay Peterson. Hello to you both.
SUBJECT: Hi.
JODY-KAY PETERSON: Hi. Thanks for having me.
INTERVIEWER: Makena, first of all, congratulations on helping create such an important law. Tell us how you came up with this idea.
SUBJECT: Well, this all started as a result of my interest in earning my Silver Award for Girl Scouts.
INTERVIEWER: OK.
SUBJECT: And I was just brainstorming multiple ideas for this project. And actually, my mom suggested doing something that personally affects my family. And I have siblings with special needs and a grandmother with Alzheimer's. And we were just thinking, what would happen if the people who took care of them got knocked unconscious or killed in a car accident? What would happen? Would someone know to go and help them?
INTERVIEWER: Yeah. So a law sounds like that could help your family or families like yours?
SUBJECT: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: So once you had this idea, where did you go next to make it happen?
SUBJECT: We went to the local police department to speak with one of the officers to see if they could somehow help get this idea out there.
INTERVIEWER: OK. So, Jody-Kay, when you first heard about this idea, what did you think?
JODY-KAY PETERSON: Oh, I thought it was amazing. And it was perfect timing too as well, because when it came across to my desk, it came from Bill Hamas with our office of traffic safety, and it was perfect timing because it came through on a Friday. And here, the DVS leadership team was meeting on a Monday to put together our legislative items for the 2023 session.
So it was perfect timing. And I thought that this is something that would make its place, because we have a driver's license emergency contact form, and adding an option for something like that for us to list a primary caregiver could find its place on the form. So it was just perfect timing, and we brought this forward to our leadership team, and we discussed it, and it was added as one of the items that DVS would bring forward for the 2023 session.
INTERVIEWER: Well, that's so great. And good things coming through on a Friday afternoon, that's always nice to hear about. So what's been the response so far now that this law has been implemented?
JODY-KAY PETERSON: We've had some good responses from it, where we're seeing applications form. Our Minnesotans are able to fill that information out to us because the provision enables caretakers to add the information of up to three people for whom they're responsible to their DVS records so that we can share that with law enforcement in a critical event, such as an emergency. So we've seen folks adding information, and when they come into our offices, we do bring that up as an item. Hey, is this something that you'd like to add today to your DVS record?
INTERVIEWER: That is so helpful. So what information exactly pops up when officers pull up the license of a caretaker?
JODY-KAY PETERSON: When the license is run in the law enforcement system, it does alert them, there is just a notification in their system that this person that you have is responsible for, and it lists the individual's name and the address of where that person would be located at.
INTERVIEWER: OK. So just for people who are listening, what do people who are caretakers need to do to make sure that information is part of their license? And is it going to be part of a normal renewal? Or is there an application process?
JODY-KAY PETERSON: Yes. So there is a form. And that can be located at drive.mn.gov. It is currently called the Autism Spectrum Mental Health Emergency Caretaker Contact Form. Now, an agent will, when they come in to apply or to renew, the agent will bring up this information as something you want to add, if they already have it, is it something you want to change.
And so there's a form, this form that I just mentioned, they'll give that to the individual, or they can just print it from online too, and bring that in, and fill it out, and submit it with their application. And then once that's turned in, it is added to the record of the individual.
INTERVIEWER: And so just to restate-- when you show up to renew your driver's license, you can take care of it then?
JODY-KAY PETERSON: Correct. Now, on the first initial try, you fill out the application, but any edits later on, that can be made online at drive.mn.gov.
INTERVIEWER: Good. That's really helpful. So, Makena, I want to get back to you. I hear you have hopes to expand this program.
SUBJECT: Yes. So when I initially started doing this, I wanted to include a broader range of care receivers, like people with Alzheimer's and dementia, someone with a traumatic brain injury, maybe even like a quadriplegic or a paraplegic, but only autism and mental health got put in. But that's OK. But what I'm going to do is hopefully for my Gold Award, broaden it to include those people.
INTERVIEWER: I was just going to say, that is perfect fodder for your Gold Award. And it helps people.
SUBJECT: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: Well, Makena, congratulations on launching such an important project. And thank you both for talking with me today.
JODY-KAY PETERSON: Thank you so much.
SUBJECT: Thank you.
INTERVIEWER: That was 14-year-old Makena Prevost, who helped create a new law that puts caretaker information on driver's licenses, and Jody-Kay Peterson is with the department of vehicle services.
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