On 1 May 2014, the new obligations to carry first aid materials in motor vehicles came into force. This means that anyone carrying first aid material that complies with the DIN 13164 standard is in compliance with the law. Since 1 January 2014, there has been a new version of the standard, which adapts the contents of the first aid kit to the latest emergency medical findings. From 1 July 2014, it will also be compulsory to carry high-visibility waistcoats. The German Medical Technology Association (BVMed) points this out. More information is available at www.bvmed.de/erstehilfe.
BVMed suggests that every car driver should regularly check their first-aid kit and replenish it accordingly. A number of contents are labelled with an expiry date: Once this date has passed, the manufacturer’s guarantee for the sterility of the compresses and bandages expires. All expired products in the first aid kit should therefore be replaced with ‘fresh’ ones. As a result of the change to the standard that came into force in January 2014, it may be cheaper to purchase a new, up-to-date first aid kit than to replace all new or expired materials.
A plaster set and skin cleansing wipes were added to the new standard that came into force in January 2014. The 14-piece plaster set includes ready-to-use, pre-cut plaster strips, finger strips and fingertip bandages. The two skin cleansing wipes are individually packaged for cleansing uninjured areas of skin, which means that the new standard takes account of the public’s increased need for hygiene. A child-sized dressing pack has also been added to the mandatory list of items in the first aid kit.
The ‘Tenth Ordinance amending the Driving Licence Ordinance and other road traffic regulations’ also amends Section 35h (3) sentence 1 of the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (StVZO). With regard to the obligation to carry first aid material, it states: ‘In (…) motor vehicles (…) first aid material must be carried which, in terms of type, quantity and quality, corresponds at least to the standard sheet DIN 13 164, January 1998 edition or January 2014 edition.’ The high-visibility waistcoats to be carried are specified in Section 53a (1) as follows: ‘High-visibility waistcoats must comply with the standard DIN EN 471:2003+A1:2007, March 2008 edition or the standard EN ISO 20471:2013’.
Note to the media:
The press photo illustrating this article can (or could) be downloaded from www.bvmed.de/verbandkasten2014.
BVMed – Bundesverband Medizintechnologie e.V.
Reinhardtstraße 29b
D – 10117 Berlin
Tel. +49 (0)30 246 255-19 / -20
Fax +49 (0)30 246 255-99
E-Mail: info@bvmed.de
www.bvmed.de
