Band-Aids on board!
The first-aid kit—also known as a first-aid box or car first-aid kit—leads a rather dreary existence. It's usually tucked away in the trunk or under the seats, and is rarely easily accessible. This is due in no small part to the fact that it has gotten thicker and thicker as more and more items have been added to it: in addition to band-aids and wound dressings, it now also contains gauze bandages, burn dressing kits, mouth protection wipes, gloves, and face masks.
The exact contents required are defined by DIN 13164 in Germany and by ÖNORM V 5101 in Austria. In Switzerland, there is no requirement to carry a first-aid kit, but there is an obligation to provide first aid to injured persons. In this regard, a car first-aid kit is recommended, but its contents are not specified; rather, they are based on current standards. For example, the kit is also not mandatory in Italy, Spain, or France. However, it is widely recognized that it is needed everywhere.
The idea of special first-aid kits for motor vehicles first emerged 100 years ago. There were more and more cars and more and more accidents resulting in injuries—but no emergency medical services like we have today. After World War I, the German employers' liability insurance associations developed a standardized first-aid kit that people liked to carry in their cars. Its contents were similar to those of today, though in some cases more geared toward workplace accidents;
For example, the kit included a leather finger splint; with Kramer splints and hospital cotton for padding, laypeople could practice immobilizing broken limbs, and splinter tweezers and iodine were also essential. For anyone who had been struck hard on the head or had seen too much blood, ammonia-filled smelling salts would bring them out of unconsciousness.
It wasn't until 1972 that first-aid kits became mandatory in Germany. Over the years, the contents have increasingly adapted to the needs of road traffic. For example, in the 1970s, face masks were suddenly added to make mouth-to-mouth resuscitation more hygienic. Disposable gloves were added to the lineup in the 1980s, when AIDS became a major concern. And in 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic led the “Medicine” Standards Committee at the German Institute for Standardization to mandate the inclusion of face masks. The first-aid kit isn't getting any smaller.
