Automobile First Aid Kits -- a very German thing!

For a time I had an obsession in finding first aid kits in Mercedes cars at the Pick and Pull yard. I have one very nice plastic box kit that fits in a holder behind the passenger seat in my R 107. These kits could also be found in white or soft fabric bags.  I. have never had to use one, but was fascinated as to why Mercedes put them in all their cars. Now I know!

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First aid kit: On-board first aid kits initially emerged in the 1920s, carrying materials to treat injuries resulting from road traffic accidents. This first aid kit for members of German motoring association ADAC forms part of the exhibits at the Mercedes-Benz Museum. (Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives image signature: D587891)

Carrying a first aid kit has been mandatory for all newly registered vehicles in the Federal Republic of Germany since 1 January 1970. Contemporary first aid kit variants are mostly packed in durable 

fabric pouches. (Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives image signature: D587923)

On-board first aid kit in a 123 model series Mercedes-Benz Saloon (produced between 1975 and 1985), stored in a recess featuring a lid in the parcel shelf behind the rear seat. (Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives image signature: C20364)

Always on board: If an accident occurs on the road, ideally there will be a standardised first aid kit on hand with everything needed to treat minor injuries. A first aid kit like this – with bandages and other medical materials – can even save lives. In Germany and in other countries the first dedicated “on-board first aid kits” were launched on the market in the 1920s. Nowadays there are many such sets available as accessories.

Mandatory for the past 50 years: According to Bundesverband Medizintechnologie – the Federal German Medical Technology Association – a first aid kit has been mandatory in every newly registered vehicle in the Federal Republic of Germany since 1 January 1970. An amendment to Article 35 h of the German Road Traffic Licensing Regulation (StVZO) dating back to 1969 specified the details. It had already been mandatory for buses and coaches to carry a first aid kit since 1 August 1960. Soon the regulation was extended to all vehicles, not just newly registered ones: ever since 1 January 1972 all vehicles in the Federal Republic of Germany have had to carry a first aid kit. Article 37 of the German Democratic Republic’s Road Traffic Licensing Regulation also made on-board first aid kits mandatory for vehicles. Similar rules apply in many countries today.

Checked thoroughly: In Germany on-board first aid kits are also checked as part of the statutory inspection. According to the TÜV Rheinland testing authority, this became mandatory for the first time on 1 January 1971. After a lapse of attention to this detail for several years, checking whether a first aid kit is available in the vehicle has been a firm part of statutory inspections since 2012. Testing engineers have a close look at whether the first aid kit is complete and they also inspect materials’ best-before dates.

Box or pouch: The first ever first aid kits were kept in sturdy metal boxes, but over time plastic boxes and soft pouches made of a durable material have prevailed. In each case, first aid kits’ sterile contents are protected by individual packaging.