In what sounds like a great idea, the Illinois Secretary of State, who issues drivers' licenses and state ID Cards, has started an emergency contact database. Illinois drivers (and ID card holders) can enter into a database emergency contact people. The database will be used by police in situations where you cannot communicate (e.g. car accident or the like).
The database is free, voluntary, and allows you to remove your information if you don't want it in the database anymore. This sounds like a home run to me.
For more information, or to register, visit:
http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/drivers/ecd/faqs.html