In a society where extracting proof of your identity is as easy as looking down at your mobile phone, the concept of the unexpected occurring where that capability simply vanishes is almost inconceivable.
But it happens - and from a police perspective, more often than most people would imagine.
In January this year on Black Mountain, an elderly cyclist hit a tree and tragically died of the injuries he sustained. Out on a casual ride and clearly expecting nothing untoward would occur, the 72-year-old had carried no identification.
That triggered a significant investigation by police to determine who he was, so to inform the victim's family of what had happened as quickly as possible.
Vulnerable members of the community - people who are non-verbal, those living alone, or suffering from dementia or other illnesses - are the key targets of the new campaign by ACT police to offer "next-of-kin" cards that provide details of who can be contacted should the unexpected occur.
Sergeant Ben Willis, from the police community engagement team, said the idea was unashamedly borrowed from NSW police, which had been offering both these types of cards, and online forms, for more than two years.
Around 4000 cards have been printed by police as part of the pilot program. ACT Ambulance, who together with police are customary first responders, are partners in the program.
"Quite often we [police] are called to instances where the people we are assisting are unable to communicate with us so it's difficult to know who to contact," he said.
"The cards are also handy if someone needs medical assistance and cannot verbalise what their medical issue is."
He said that only a few weeks ago, members of his team were on patrol and came across an elderly lady who could not tell the officers who she was or where she had come from.
"It was apparent she was suffering from a medical condition, most likely dementia, and was non-verbal," he said.
"The next-of-kin card would have been a great assistance in that situation. It took our members about an hour to an hour and half looking after the lady until we could track down where she had come from.
"Expediency in getting her back to where she would get the best of care would have been ideal."
Nominated on the card as the point of contact can be a spouse, a partner, a sibling, or a blood relative over 18 years of age but equally a nominated friend or someone with power of attorney.
He said that the automatic locking mechanism on mobile phones meant that these universal devices for summoning help or proving identity in an emergency did not always present a solution.
History shows the identity card concept will have its detractors but police concede that there is only a certain proportion of the community which will see value in it. .
The community debate around universal identity cards has a long and fractured history in Australia dating back to the 1980s, when an Australia Card was first proposed by the Hawke Labour government and was met with a high level of public hostility. The Bill to introduce it got as far as the Senate, where it was narrowly defeated on privacy grounds.
