What should be in a car first aid kit and how to use it

What should be in a car first aid kit

From January 1, 2021, new requirements are imposed on the first aid kit. The changes affected some of its contents, mainly bandages and plasters. The car should now have:

Disposable non-sterile medical masks - 2 pieces.
Medical non-sterile gloves of at least M size - 2 pairs.
Device for artificial respiration "Mouth-Device-Mouth" - 1 piece.
Hemostatic tourniquet - 1 piece.
Medical gauze bandage with a size of at least 5 m × 10 cm - 4 pieces.
Medical gauze bandage measuring at least 7 m × 14 cm - 3 pieces.
Sterile medical gauze napkins at least 14 × 16 cm in size - 2 packs.
Fixing roll adhesive plaster with a size of at least 2 × 50 cm - 1 piece.
Scissors - 1 piece.
First aid instructions using a first aid kit - 1 piece.
Case - 1 piece.

If you have a first-aid kit in your car, assembled according to the old rules, do not rush to change it. You can use it until the expiration date indicated on it, but no longer than until December 31, 2024.

Is it possible to assemble a car first aid kit yourself

Yes, drivers are allowed to prepare their own first aid kit. The requirements for it are contained in the order of the Ministry of Health. It lists which medical devices and in what quantities should be in the case, as well as what exactly to ask at the pharmacy.

To collect a first aid kit, pay attention to the third and fourth columns in the requirements. In the fourth, the general name of the medical device is indicated, and in the third, its options are suitable for completing a first-aid kit. For example, the case can hold disposable surgical or conventional face masks to protect the respiratory tract.

How to use a car first aid kit correctly

The rules are spelled out in a separate document "Instructions for using a first aid kit for providing first aid to victims of road accidents (automobile)". It is officially approved by the Ministry of Health. It tells how to use each product from the first aid kit, how to assess the condition of the victim and what to do with him.

Study the instructions so as not to get confused in a critical situation.

Screenshot: instructions for using a car first aid kit

What happens if there is no first aid kit in the car

Without a first-aid kit, you will not be able to go through a technical inspection and get a diagnostic card, which is needed to obtain insurance.

In addition, the Code of Administrative Offenses provides for a fine of 500 rubles for not having a first-aid kit. It is prohibited to use a car without it.

However, there are questions to who can attract a driver under this article. It is believed that a traffic police officer is not entitled to demand that you show a first-aid kit without reason. This point is not among the duties of the driver in the rules of the road.

The presence of the policy confirms: you have passed the technical inspection and you have a first aid kit. And if a traffic police officer needs to make sure of this and check the contents of, for example, the trunk, then this is no longer an inspection, but an inspection, which is carried out in the presence of two attesting witnesses or is recorded on video.

However, lawyers believe that the inspector will still have to show the first-aid kit.

Maxim Bekanov Leading Lawyer of the European Legal Service

The traffic police inspector has every right to check the presence of a car first aid kit and all its components, as well as their expiration date.

According to the expert, this follows from the government decree "On the rules of the road": the absence of a first-aid kit is a condition under which the use of the car is prohibited. And the traffic police inspector, in turn, has the right to inspect vehicles to make sure they are legally used.

Konstantin Bobrov, director of the legal service of the United Center for Defense, clarifies that the traffic police have the right to inspect the first-aid kit only as part of special events.

Konstantin Bobrov Director of the Legal Service "United Center for Defense"

If the inspector acts outside the activities approved by the authorities, then the decision on bringing to administrative responsibility can be challenged.

To do this, you need to do the following:

Ask for the identity card of the inspector, record the data specified in it.
Demand to say on the basis of which order the traffic police are acting (indicating the details of the order of the authorities), and show a copy of this document.
After you receive the order on bringing to administrative responsibility, demand a copy of it.
Submit a complaint to the head of the traffic police or to the prosecutor's office with all the data and a detailed description of the circumstances. You can also go to court.