What should be in a car's first aid kit

Why does a driver need a first aid kit?

Help in case of an accident. If people were injured in an accident and the ambulance has not yet arrived, it is important to be able, for example, to stop the bleeding.

Stanislav Marfin, worked in the rescue service for 20 years, responded to road accidents

If an accident occurs and the victim is bleeding, it is important to stop the bleeding before a specialist arrives. The car first aid kit has everything for this. There is no point in taking complex rescue devices, such as a ventilator, with you - an ordinary driver will not be able to use it correctly.

Show it to the inspector. A traffic police officer has the right to stop a car to check documents. In addition to documents, the inspector can also check the presence of a fire extinguisher, warning triangle and first aid kit. These items are needed for the safety of the driver and passengers in emergency situations.

Pass inspection. The inspection requirements state that the car must have a first aid kit. Without it, the technical station employee has the right not to issue a diagnostic card.

Help with minor injuries. It happens that a driver gets his finger pinched during minor car repairs, or children play with something sharp and get hurt. For such simple help, you don’t need a doctor - bandages from the first aid kit will suffice.

What should be in a car first aid kit for 2021

The Ministry of Health changed the composition of the car first aid kit in 2009, and since then the composition has been the same. In the future they plan to add medical masks to it, but so far there is no such requirement. Here is a complete and current set of car first aid kits for 2021.

What shouldn't be in it? There are no prohibiting laws regarding the list of medications and the composition of the first aid kit. If additional medications are required, it is better to put them in a separate case - this will help in an emergency to quickly get to the main equipment, for example, bandages or a tourniquet.

What else to put in the first aid kit. Each driver prepares his own personal first aid kit depending on chronic diseases or possible situations. For example, “heart patients” often take Validol or Mildronate with them on trips. If there are problems with the stomach and intestines, take drugs like Polysorb, Smecta or activated carbon.

Composition of a car first aid kit in 2021

The contents of today's first aid kit are subject to much fewer requirements than the list of medications in old-style automobile accessories. A legislative act approved in 2010 abolished all types of tablets, ointments, and tinctures that were needed to:

• soften heart attacks (validol, corvalol, valerian, nitroglycerin);
• reduce pain (aspirin, analgin);
• disinfect open wounds (iodine, brilliant green);
• bring to life after loss of consciousness (ammonia);
• normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract (activated carbon).

Law regulating the list of medications for vehicles

The composition of the set of medications in first aid kits in 2021 takes into account the following circumstances:

1. Most often, first aid is provided by people who do not have medical education or practice, and according to current legislation, only a qualified doctor can prescribe medications.
2. The temperature at the location of the first aid kit in vehicles is not suitable for storing any medications (need from +5 to - 2o C). In Russia, 80% of the territory experiences a sharply continental climate with annual temperatures varying from +40 to –40 degrees C. Under such conditions, tablets, tinctures and ointments quickly lose their medicinal properties and become dangerous when used due to the increased concentration of toxic substances.
3. When injured, the ability to correctly and quickly stop bleeding, which can lead to serious consequences or death, is crucial.
4. Be sure to use pictograms to show how to act in extreme situations.

The list of medical supplies in the first aid kit was approved by Order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation dated September 8, 2009, No. 697n.

In 2010, the Russian Federation decided to switch to European standards, so medications were removed from the first aid kit and more dressing materials were added.

Table: contents of a first aid kit with a list of required medications

Bandages and napkins are used to bandage open skin lesions. The new list of medicines for a car first aid kit contains two types of gauze materials: sterile and non-sterile dressing fabric. For bandages, each type consists of three subspecies, differing in size. Dressing materials are contained inside sealed paper wrappers, which are marked with the following information:

• company manufacturer;
• name and size of the product;
• information about the indispensable compliance of gauze fabric with the requirements of GOST, registration documents and production standards;
• amount in a package;
• sterile (indicating the date of sterilization and expiration date) or non-sterile.

For your information. If bandages, napkins, dressing bags do not have an individual wrapper or the relevant information about the product is not applied to it, then such dressings are not considered medical products, but belong to production waste (rags, scraps of fabric and other types of defects).

A sterile dressing bag is used for burns and other open wounds. It looks like a bandage that includes one or two swabs of gauze and cotton wool, as well as a bandage to securely secure the dressing. The contents of the sterile dressing kit are located inside a paper bag, on the surface of which information about the product is printed.

Video: first aid kits in cars

Expiration date of the contents of a car first aid kit

This standard is indicated on the medicine storage case.

Information about the expiration date of the contents of the first aid kit is often contained on the front of the first aid kit.

Bandages and dressings do not lose their original qualities for ten years or more. The tourniquet to stop bleeding and adhesive plasters are designed to last for 5–6 years. In general, a car first aid kit has a service life of four and a half years. An additional 6 months are given for replacement of medical supplies. So: every 5 years, the old first aid kit should be replaced with a new set of medications.

What is the difference between cases with the new and old set

Since 2009, there have been no medicines in the first aid kit - only means to stop the bleeding, plus a device for artificial respiration.

What is the expiration date for a car first aid kit?

The expiration date is indicated on the label if it is a plastic case, or on the instructions if the first aid kit is in the form of a bag with a zipper.

Usually the period is about 4 years, it depends on the manufacturer. For example, the “Fest” first aid kit is good for 4 years, “Leiko”, similar in composition, is good for 5 years, and “Mizar” is good for 3 years.

After the expiration date, the first aid kit can be disposed of as household waste.

How to use

It is necessary to use the medications contained in the travel first aid kit depending on the circumstances. At the first sign of discomfort, you should not immediately swallow handfuls of medicine. First you need to understand the reasons for your poor health. Perhaps the malaise will not require medical intervention at all, because it is to blame for simple fatigue.

If you have signs of a cold, first measure your body temperature. And remember that some symptoms are similar to other diseases, for example, muscle pain may indicate poisoning or heat stroke.

Different situations will require different help.

Use dressings for applying sterile bandages, as well as for fixing limbs in case of fractures or dislocations. Always treat open wounds with an antiseptic before bandaging them: even a small and, at first glance, insignificant scratch can become infected.

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Always read the instructions before taking antihistamines. Many of them have side effects that, in a different climate, can give the body a completely unexpected reaction. The most common one is drowsiness. So don’t be alarmed if you suddenly feel an irresistible urge to sleep. Most likely, this is how an antihistamine works.

Poisoning and intestinal infections are the most common causes of poor health. Whatever triggers your abdominal pain, take activated charcoal. If toxic substances somehow enter the body, it will absorb them and help eliminate them. If this is not the case, it will simply come out along with the feces. And then start from the symptoms.

Author of the publication

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Nika

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I am interested in hiking and traveling, photography and videography. I have been going hiking since childhood. The whole family went and went - sometimes to the sea, then to the river, to the lake, to the forest. There was a time when we spent a whole month in the forest. We lived in tents and cooked over fires. This is probably why I am still drawn to the forest and, in general, to nature. I travel regularly. About three trips a year for 10-15 days and many 2 and 3 day hikes.

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How much does a car first aid kit cost?

Price. A first aid kit costs an average of 400 rubles.

How to choose. Focus, first of all, on the composition - it must meet the requirements: bandages, plasters, tourniquet and mouth-to-mouth device. If you plan to add additional medications to your first aid kit, choose a model with a larger capacity. You can complete the first aid kit yourself and put it in any convenient handbag or plastic case - there are no packaging requirements.

Where can I buy. First aid kits are sold in any pharmacy and almost every gas station. You can order it online - in marketplaces like Yandex.Market, Ozona or Wildberry. The composition is almost the same everywhere. The price depends on the case material and design. The cheapest ones are in plastic boxes. A bag with a zipper is more expensive.

Remember

1. The fine for not having a first aid kit is 500 rubles.
2. A first aid kit in the car is needed to prevent the victim from dying before the ambulance arrives in the event of an accident.
3. You won’t be able to pass the inspection without a first aid kit; the inspector may ask for it.
4. The new first aid kit contains no medications, only dressings and a mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration apparatus.
5. The shelf life of a first aid kit is on average 4 years. It costs about 400 rubles.

All articles by the author: Evgeniy Lesnov

Nuances

When imposing an administrative fine for the absence of a first aid kit or fire extinguisher, you must remember that such an action is permissible only if several nuances are observed:

1. The legality of the action taken (compliance with all requirements of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation).
2. The timeliness of such impact (the need to implement punishment immediately after its detection is taken into account).
3. Addition of penalties that can be imposed for a combination of offenses (in this case, for the lack of a first aid kit and fire extinguisher, only one fine of 500 rubles is imposed).

Knowledge of legal norms and legislation of the Russian Federation when driving a vehicle will significantly save drivers’ nerves, time and money. Legally competent drivers cause great inconvenience to traffic police officers and discourage them from getting involved again without good reason. Legislation in the field of traffic rules should not be regarded only as limiting the freedom of action of motorists. It is also necessary to take into account its benefits when defending one’s rights before government authorities.

Remembering legal literacy, you should not forget about the safety of yourself and your loved ones who are in a driven car. The cost of a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher is so small compared to the problems that can be solved by having them in the car that the choice made in favor of purchasing these products will more than pay for itself during their operation.