New Yorkers can donate organs online

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ALBANY, N.Y., April 30 (UPI) -- New Yorkers can easily enroll in the state's Organ and Tissue Donor Registry online via MyDMV, the state motor vehicles commissioner said.

Barbara J. Fiala, the commissioner of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, said the new online service would reduce barriers to potential donors and increase life saving transplants.

Currently, more than 2.7 million New Yorkers are registered as organ donors, but that number represents only 18 percent of the possible donors in the state, while the national average was 42 percent, Fiala said.

"The need is great," Fiala said in a statement. "More than 113,000 people in the United States are waiting for organ transplants, including almost 10,000 New Yorkers. Every day, an average of 18 people die while waiting for organ transplants in the U.S., and every 10 minutes another name is added to the waiting list. Each month, more than 40,000 generous New Yorkers sign up as organ donors through department of motor vehicles. But to meet the need, we must do better."

MyDMV, provides DMV customers with secure access to a variety of online services. A MyDMV account requires a driver to enter personal identification information that the department can use to verify identity to create a single, secure username and password.

In addition to registering to be an organ donor, MyDMV account users can report changes a driver's address, sign for registration and inspection renewal reminders and obtain copies of driving records.