Car First Aid Kits

Choosing the correct car first aid kit for your requirements

When it comes to vehicle first aid kits, we can provide you with just the item you’ve been looking for to help ensure the health and safety of passengers and drivers. Our kits are compliant with the British Standard for vehicle first aid kits which was designed to make selecting a kit easier based on the vehicle type and number of passengers, as well as equipping vehicles with the most appropriate container and equipment for roadside first aid.

The British Standard Compliant Vehicle First Aid Kits were developed by a team of medical and emergency services professionals to ensure that all the items included are the most suitable for any likely need. This kit should be used in the event of a roadside accident or emergency while waiting for the appropriate emergency services to arrive.

We also have a large range of individual items for refilling and replacement purposes. It’s important to remember to replace any items in the box once they’ve been used, but it’s just as important to keep an eye on the use by date of any sterile items in the kit, so that all items remain in date and useable in the event of an emergency.

Our range of BS Compliant Vehicle First Aid Kit Refills can help you keep your vehicle first aid kits fully stocked and refilled in the event that certain items have been used or have gone past their use by dates. Our kits also come in handy, easy-to-store packs and some can be wall-mounted for easy access.

Please be advised that in the event of a major accident, these kits are not intended to act as an alternative to seeking medical help, but to serve as a complementary device to help reduce the initial impact of any accident or emergency that may have occurred.

Choosing the right size car first aid kit

Our kits are available in a number of sizes. Generally, you can expect a vehicle first aid kit to include the following types of items: dressings, bandages, shears, cleansing wipes, a foil blanket, gloves, a resuscitation device and plasters, as well as a guidance leaflet.

When considering the best first aid kit for your car, you have a few options to choose from:

Small kits – perfect for motorbikes and mopeds and recommended for small vehicles with a maximum of three passengers. Easy to store efficiently in small vehicles and packed with first aid tools and supplies.
Medium kits – ideal for cars, vans, trucks and taxis and any vehicles with a maximum capacity of eight passengers.
Large kits – designed for vehicles with high occupancy rates such as buses, minibuses and coaches. These kits are recommended for vehicles that carry a maximum of 16 passengers. If the vehicle carries more than 16 passengers, it is recommended to stock more than one vehicle first aid kit.

For an even more comprehensive kit when it comes to possible roadside accidents, we recommend our Roadside Emergency First Aid Kit. This not only includes first aid dressings, plasters, bandages and shears, but also, depending on the size of the kit you choose to purchase, items such as a fire extinguisher, high visibility vests, a torch, a triangle warning sign and breathalysers.

In the event of an accident or an emergency, this kind of self-preparedness when it comes to vehicle first aid kits and car emergency kits can help to diminish the effects of an emergency and ensure that anyone who is injured can be treated quickly and safely, protecting them from further harm or injury.

First aid kit storage

When selecting your first aid kit, you should also consider whether you would prefer for your kit to be stored in a soft bag, or if you would prefer the aura box. You should take into account where the kit will be stored. Will you need to mount the kit to a surface? Or will it be stowed beneath a seat? Aura boxes come with a bracket, making them easy to mount to a wall. However, if you are looking for a first aid kit which can be tucked beneath a seat or into the storage area of a moped, a first aid kit in a soft bag may be a better option. All of the bags are made of durable material and have a handle for easy access and transport.

Winter car preparedness

Anyone who has experienced hazardous driving conditions in the winter knows that it pays to be prepared when driving in the winter months. Sometimes, unprepared driving in winter can have harmful or even deadly consequences. A 2014 Department for Transport (DfT) study found that 2,274 people were slightly injured, 251 people were seriously injured and 29 people were killed in reported road accidents when there was snow or ice on the road.

Seton’s Winter Car Care Kit is a handy and easily stowable kit that contains everything needed for driving in winter conditions. The kit includes de-icer spray, a de-mist pad, foil blanket, ice scraper, torch and mini first aid kit.

In addition to providing your drivers with winter car kits and car first aid kits, you can take a further step to ensure road safety by drafting a winter driving policy for your staff. When the weather reaches a certain point, it is impossible to travel and workers should be discouraged from driving at all. However, it is important to train staff for driving in adverse weather – including vehicle preparation, emergency arrangements and journey planning.

Training your workers

Van first aid kits, winter car care kits and roadside emergency kits are one way to prepare your drivers for accidents and unexpected events on the road. However, it is also important to ensure that your drivers are trained on how to use, store and maintain the kits so that they continue to be useful for the future.

Also, roadside first aid kits are only one part of a driving safety plan. It is important to train your drivers on how to react to roadside emergencies. This takes planning and may include first aid training or training on vehicle maintenance and preparedness in any situation.

Frequently asked questions

What should a car first aid kit contain?

The contents of a motor vehicle first aid kit will vary according to the size and type of first aid kit. For example, winter-specific kits will have different materials to those of a general car first aid kit. However, a typical motorists first aid kit will include:

Wound dressings, bandages, burn dressings and trauma dressings
Nitrile gloves, foil blanket and shears
Resuscitation face shield
A guidance pamphlet to explain how to use the materials to administer first aid properly

Seton’s British Standard Compliant Vehicle First Aid Kits come in three different sizes: small, medium, and large – to suit various vehicle sizes. The small kits are best for motorcycles and mopeds, the medium kits are suited to taxis, cars and trucks, and the large kits are best for minibuses, coaches and buses.

What does the law say?

According to the HSE guidelines on first aid at work employers are responsible for their employees’ safety while at work. This includes employees whose work involves driving trucks, lorries and other commercial vehicles. For such vehicles, Seton has the British Standard Compliant First Aid Kits and the Roadside Emergency First Aid Kits.

There are also guidelines for vehicle first aid kit requirements for public vehicles, including taxis. While there is no law in the UK that mandates that private vehicles must carry first aid kits, it is compulsory for taxis and private hire vehicles to carry first aid kits at all times. Passenger-carrying vehicles (PCV) and public service vehicles (PSV) must carry a first aid kit according to British Standard (BS 2599-2).. Buses and coaches are required to carry larger first aid kits as they carry many more passengers.

The Roadside Emergency kits include first aid materials, along with additional safety tools and accessories that can be used in the event of an accident or other emergency. These tools include a torch, breathalyser, high visibility vests and a reflective warning triangle.

The medium British Standard Compliant Vehicle First Aid Kit makes for a great taxi first aid kit as it is easy to stow away and suitable for vehicles carrying up to 8 passengers. For drivers who frequently deal with poor weather, the Winter Car Care Kit is also an ideal first aid kit for taxi drivers as it contains both a first aid kit and essential tools for maintaining vehicle safety during adverse weather conditions.

Do new cars come with first aid kits?

New cars do not typically come with car first aid kits as private vehicles are not required by law to carry first aid kits. If you are looking for a convenient car first aid box, Seton’s British Standard Vehicle First Aid Kits are the best car first aid kit as they can be conveniently stowed underneath a seat. This is also a great first aid kit for road trip as it can be tucked into a corner of the vehicle and it contains a comprehensive selection of first aid materials.