Here in slovenia, and i think many places in europe but im not sure, you are required by law to have a first aid kit in your car. Basic stuff like bandages, tourniquets, one of those plastic covers for doing mouth to mouth cpr and the like. If you are stopped by a policeman and you dont have it, you can get fined. Do you have that in the US?

47 comments

  1. I keep one in my car, but as far I’m aware there’s no legal mandate for you to do so anywhere in the country.

  2. No it’s not federal law. Although states have their own laws as well, I don’t know of any that require a first aid kit in cars.

  3. Nope, as far as I know no US state has this requirement. I did give a Johnson and Johnson first aid kit to my daughter at Christmas with 2 young kids for traveling. They are under 30 bucks and have all the stuff for booboo’s and the like. Neosporin bandaids Tylenol etc. I take one on long trips too

  4. It is not law in my state (Nevada), but I lived in Germany for 3 years, and I have kept the habit of having a first aid kit in my car. I also have the rest of the car safety things; the reflective triangles and such. Everything that was required in Germany I’ve kept in my cars here and put in my daughters car once she was able to drive.

    I was raised old school and also keep an atlas of the country and a detailed map of each state I’m in within my car. I lived in Bavaria in Germany, and I live in rural NV now, I don’t always have data. Having a map and knowing how to read it is important.

  10. No.

    I keep one along with a fire extinguisher, tow straps and a few other things.

  12. I’ve never heard of such a law, but you definitely should have a basic first aid kit in your car.

  14. No. Of all my traffic stops, I have never been asked to provide proof of a first-aid kit.

  16. Yes, but it’s a part of my larger roadside emergency kit. I like prepping, so I assembled everything for my car, and when I originally had it put together, I included emergency pouches of water and food too. (those are long since gone.)

  17. it is required for DOT registered vehicles, which is mostly commercial vehicles over 10k gvw, but under 26k. they also require a fire extinguisher and road flairs / reflective triangles.

    these vehicles also require a physical test every so often, usually 2 years but possible they only give you 1 year or 6 months due to health rest. this is not a CDL, which is a whole different license entirely for even larger vehicles

  18. No, and before you ask, no, that absolutely should *not* be required. As someone else said, if you haven’t been trained (and believe me, a first aid training seminar is *not* enough for things like tourniquets which can cause even *more* damage* if done wrong) then There’s no point in having one.

  19. I don’t know of any state that requires one.

    Frankly I wouldn’t trust any given rando not to make things worse.

  21. We have no such regulation in any state I know of.

    I have one but that’s a personal choice. I also got trained as a Wilderness First Responder so I have a *very* basic knowledge of emergency medicine.

    I have always found it a little odd that some European countries require it just because I doubt it is of much use. It isn’t like everyone knows how to use a CPR mask or a tourniquet properly and even in a situation where such things are needed I doubt it often gets employed by people that don’t have any training.

    Especially with tourniquets. If people don’t have a basic understanding of when and how to use them they can cause more damage.

  22. Need to? No. Should you? Yes, even if it’s just basics like some bandages and gauze.

    I have a pretty robust first-aid kit in my truck though, but I’m often out in the woods and I tend to injure myself frequently.

  23. There is no legal requirement for one. I’m in the habit of keeping one handy.

  24. There’s no legal requirement, but plenty of people still have one. But it’s for themselves rather than others, generally. We often take roadtrips and can go hours without seeing civilization. It’s handy having a first aid kit if you manage to cut yourself.

    I had one while living in Michigan but don’t have one anymore. The first aid kit was utterly destroyed by the heat here in Phoenix while sitting in my car. I opened it after about 18 months and the bandaids had all seeped their adhesives, the ibuprofen bottle was deformed, the dry bandages were hard from the adhesive seeping, etc.

  25. Not a requirement, but my car came with one from the manufacturer (Hyundai) when we bought it, pretty decently stocked too. With two young kids, it has come in very handy.

  26. No, but it’s not a bad idea. I have one in both my cars. But my wife is a physician so it’s possible for her to be able to help if she were to see an accident or something. I was in a motorcycle accident once and someone stopped to help me. He had a first aid kit in his car.

    But at the end of the day, nobody forces you to have one. Some car manufacturers offer it as an option in some models.

  27. We’re not required to. I grew up in Germany though, so I have one in my trunk though. It just seems like a good idea

  28. A very small one with some bandaids , alcohol wipes and stuff like that. Mostly just in case I or the kids get a small cut or something.

    There is no law in my state / city that requires you to have first aid stuff.

  29. There’s no legal requirement to.

    Many people do, but there’s no requirement.

  30. I don’t think there’s any laws but I like to keep one in my car just in case I need it

  31. Well, no. No law compels us to do so. At least not in my state, idk about the others. But it’s probably a good idea to.

  32. Require by law? No. But I have one. Although I’m more concerned about blankets, water and some food for getting stranded.

  33. you’re not required to but a lot of people do. take a gander over at /r/VEDC.

    That said, maybe contrary to most people here, I wouldn’t be opposed to requiring them. And whether or not individuals are required to carry them, I’d be in favor of requiring manufacturers to ship them with the car (the same way a lot of cars come with a spare wheel and a jack)

  34. Question for the group:

    Is there a fire extinguisher that is good for a car? A brand and model?

    I’ve been trying to assemble an emergency kit and (nearly) every car extinguisher I’ve read reviews on has mentioned it exploding. I have a hatchback and that would probably kill my son. Or severely wound him for sure.

  35. The USA is much bigger than Slovenia. The money and manpower to enforce such a thing would be astronomical. You say it’s enforced when you register your car. I register my car every year but it’s all online. I don’t go in somewhere. My state doesn’t require anything like car inspection to make sure everything works correctly. Some states have something like that, but not all.

    When you see an accident, it’s generally best to mind your own business. Americans can be very litigious. You think you’re being a good Samaritan, but the person you helped is suing the other person from the accident and you get mixed up in all that. No thank you.

    Call an ambulance if you want to. Emergency services will be there in no time and will take over and will want you out of the way.

    By and large, Americans don’t like being told what to do by the government. Blame the British 247 years ago. 😉

  36. I don’t have all those things but I have a tourniquet and a sport blood clotting pack. I’m on blood thinners and things can get hairy quickly for us very fast in an accident setting so I bring what I’d need. Otherwise I have my bumps and scrapes kit which are of little use in an accident.

  37. The dealership i got my car at put on in for $10. Nice to have, but would never support a law that would require it. EMS response time is under 2 min where I am so by time I remember it’s there I’ll already have EMS there if there are injuries

  38. I have a first aid kit, but really only because I still have one of those “valid in all EU countries” kits that was required for car registration when I was stationed in Germany.

    Now as a physician, I will say this… those first aid kits aren’t particularly useful for car accidents. Most of the serious medical complications from auto accidents are the result of blunt-force trauma, and there’s really nothing an untrained civilian can do to help with these injuries on the roadside. A first aid kit is convenient if you need to dress a minor wound you might rarely incur while traveling, but convenience really is the only benefit.

    So, I don’t really support mandating something that at best is just a convenience item.

    Now, that being said, I think the reflector vests and road triangles that are mandated in Europe would make far more sense in the US. Those actually provide a real safety benefit.

  41. I don’t have to but I have one that includes all the stuff you mentioned. I’d feel guilty if there was an accident and I wasn’t prepared to help out until the paramedics arrived.

  42. In general our laws on cars are pretty laid back for a developed country, and I wouldn’t want to have it any other way. I have an emissions test every two years, and all they do is check if your Cats are still on

  43. Not required but I keep a small one in my car and in the saddlebags on my motorcycle. It’s very small, but better than nothing.

  44. No, it would be impossible to enforce. Just make it a recommendation, and leave people to go about their lives without being harassed by the police because they don’t have enough band-aids in their car.

  45. My state doesn’t even require a seatbelt or helmet, so that would be an odd place to draw the line.

    I don’t have one, but if someone gave me a free one I wouldn’t be upset.

  47. Both of my vehicles have a mostly off the shelf set of emergency kits. First aid, jumper cables, tire inflator, etc. The all-in-one kits are good enough for most people. It’s amazing how many people don’t. Not required to have anything at all in your car.

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