I just saw that now UK has got or updated the standard for first aid kit that must be kept in cars. Could you advice me a kit that is compliant with this new standard and compact to make sure I could use it with a bike too?
And do you know what items BS 8599-2 says car drivers should have in the kit?
Thanks

I suspect that this doesn't answer the question. The question is what is the minimum requirement to be BS 8599-2 compliant (what is necessary and sufficient to be compliant). Understanding this would allow the judgement of whether it is possible to have a compliant kit that is useable on a bicycle.

It might be, for example, a requirement that there be a 20lb weight in the kit (not a big deal in a car) but prohibitive on a bicycle.

It would appear that the actual regulations are behind a paywall.

http://shop.bsigroup.com/ProductDetail/?pid=000000000030284623

This is not for every private vehicle but is for employee supplied vehicles for HSE (Health and Safety Executive) requirements.

The new BS 5899-2 standard doesn't really meet German DIN 13164 standard (legal Requirement for all vehicles in Continental Europe), which certainly appears to be for a more realistic vehicle crash FAK. But it does include some plasters, limited sterile burn dressings, Resusciade Faceshield and some sterile wipes for cuts, scrapes and burns

A comparison can be seen here

DIN 13164 compliant AA Ultimate First Aid Kit - http://www.amazon.co.uk/AA-Ultimate-Firs...KG3VHX4GY611WFH

Motorist Vehicle First Aid Kit Medium BS8599-2-2014 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Motorist-Vehicle...words=BS+8599-2

DIN 13164 compliant kits can be had in the UK for around $7

The minimum content requirement for vehicles carrying 1-2 people for the new BS8599-2-2014 can be seen here;

http://www.spservices.co.uk/item/Brand_BS8599-2CompliantVehicleFirstAidKit-Small_150_0_4736_1.html

As you can see, there isn't much for a kit that is very light for those bloody blunt force trauma vehicle crashes. A few plasters are not going to cut it.

Random question, but are people actually required to use those kits? Ie, you have to stop and render aid if you're just going about your day?

Nothing like that in the UK but socially you are expected to help and do your best up to your level of expertise. Even doctors and nurses are not trained in first aid as a matter of course and would not be expected to set limbs or do brain surgery unless that is their expertise and they had the equipment. Bu if you have the knowledge and equipment, say a defibrillator, you may use it without fear.

We have a 'good Samaritan' ruling by the courts which indemnifies you against problems if you follow the above rule.

Our health and safety rules demand that you train and supply equipment to meet any 'reasonable and foreseeable' event whilst at work. i.e. a little if you are two people in a city office (Dial the emergency services). A lot if you are working on pylons in back of beyond four hours from help. If you work with poisons you keep the antidotes. Horses for courses.

They do not expect a response to a traffic accident beyond what the general public would do, thus the typical car kit supplied covers everyday cuts, scratches and burns. I also recommend eyewash sachets.

The Good Sam laws are NOT as encompassing as suggested.

The laws typically do NOT cover whether the suit is filed, just affects the likelihood of a liability if the suit goes through completely without being settled. This means that a physician or nurse can face years of litigation. Given that SOME malpractice insurance can settle without permission from the physician, it can mean a report to the National Practitioner Database even if you are completely in the right.

There are also ways to pierce the Good Sam laws completely. As mentioned in Auerbach, "Wilderness Medicine". Going on a cruise in which you may have been offered a discounted fare (possibly even without your knowledge) may pierce the Good Sam law and open you up to the regulatory obligation of being prepared for an orthopedic emergency even if you were only a psychiatrist.

It would appear that the Good Sam laws fail to protect Doctors and Nurses as originally planned.

Perhaps in the US but it works fairly well in the UK.

Yes you may be sued (anybody may sue anybody for anything in the UK, Common Law. I have heard of a suit for the damage to a pair of jeans split up a seam by a first aider. It was laughed out of court) but the good Samaritan rules work well in cases of alleged negligence and cases are few and far between because of the high level of proof that is needed to have a successful suit also the costs are high so people are deterred unless there is evidence of extremely gross negligence.

Of course if you start to do silly things, like open chest heart massage by a car mechanic, you deserve all you get.

It is possible to buy insurance for workplace first aiders but I have never heard of anybody buying it and I was an examiner for the course for many years.

Does this help?
First aid insurance

Good Sam laws in the US vary widely from state to state. Some are better than others. As noted, these laws do not prevent someone from trying to sue you. Depending on the particular state law they can, however, make it extremely unlikely for that suit to be successfull. To bring suit entails considerable expense for the plaintiff, and people are unlikely to do so without some hope of winning a large settlement.

In Alaska we are fortunate to have a very strong Good Sam law. So long as one remains withion ones level of training (whatever it is), it is very unlikely you will be sued. I am not aware of any cases of this happening in Alaska.

A couple of things one can do to make it even more unlikely is to keep your First Aid training current (do whatever refreshers are required by whatever certification you have). Keep copies of your current certification. And if you do provide emergency first aid assistance to someone, keep a detailed record of what you did, why you did it, and the circumstances under which you did it.

I can't think of anything we HAVE to carry in the car in the UK except for a paper disk on the windscreen showing that tax has been paid (to be done away with shortly, it is all online now).

No ID, no documentation, no first aid, no warning triangles, etc. etc.

In France you need, ID, a warning triangle, two breathalysers, safety vest in the car, not in the boot (trunk). Belgium also needs a fire extinguisher.

In Germany it is illegal to run out of fuel on the autobahns and winter tyres in the winter.

Just because a new standard has been introduced doesn't necessarily improve a standard. Just look at the CARB regulation for petroleum spirit containers to replace the NATO Jerrycan (apparently the Jerrycan is totally illegal in California)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPncCJ2zDpE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIknb84I20c

Never before has so much petrol been spilled since the introduction of the CARB regulation.