On a road trip you can easily be an hour from a hospital with patchy signal, so a decent first aid kit and some basic knowledge matter. This guide covers which European countries require a kit in the car, what to pack beyond the legal minimum, how to deal with cuts, sprains, ticks, heat and cold, and when to call 112.
First Aid Kit Requirements by Country
Several European countries legally require you to carry a first aid kit in your vehicle. Even where it isn't mandatory, it's sensible, and police in countries that require one may check at roadside inspections.
Countries Where a First Aid Kit Is Mandatory
- Austria: Must comply with the ÖNORM V 5101 standard. Available from ÖAMTC, petrol stations and pharmacies. You can be fined on the spot if you don't have one.
- Germany: Must comply with the DIN 13164 standard and be in date. Fine: around €10.
- France: Not technically mandatory for private vehicles, but strongly recommended. Commercial vehicles must carry one.
- Italy: Not mandatory for private cars, but recommended.
- Croatia: Mandatory. Must include a standardised set of bandages, plasters, gloves, and scissors.
- Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece: All require a first aid kit to be carried.
- Belgium: Required for Belgian-registered cars; recommended for visitors.
- Spain, Portugal, Poland, UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland: Not mandatory but recommended.
Buy a DIN 13164-compliant first aid kit (the German standard) from a motoring shop before your trip. It meets or exceeds most countries' requirements and costs €10–20. Supplement it with your own additions from the list below.
Building a Complete Road Trip First Aid Kit
A standard compliant kit covers the basics, but road trippers face specific situations that require additional supplies. Here is a fuller packing list.
Core Supplies (Wound Care)
- Assorted adhesive plasters (various sizes including butterfly closures)
- Sterile gauze pads (5 cm × 5 cm and 10 cm × 10 cm)
- Conforming bandage rolls (2 × 6 cm, 2 × 8 cm width)
- Elastic bandage for sprains (1 × 10 cm width)
- Triangular bandage (for slings)
- Adhesive surgical tape
- Antiseptic wipes individually wrapped
- Antiseptic solution (chlorhexidine or povidone-iodine, 50 ml bottle)
- Wound closure strips (Steri-Strips)
- Sterile saline solution for eye washing (2 × 20 ml pods)
Tools and Equipment
- Disposable nitrile gloves (4–6 pairs)
- Scissors (blunt-tipped medical scissors)
- Tweezers (fine-point for splinters and ticks)
- Tick removal tool (essential in rural and forested areas of Europe)
- Safety pins (6–10)
- Foil emergency blankets (x2; retain body heat in shock or cold)
- Instant cold packs (x2; no fridge needed)
- Digital thermometer
- CPR face shield
- Pen torch (for checking pupils and examining wounds)
Medications
- Paracetamol/acetaminophen: For pain and fever. Suitable for most ages.
- Ibuprofen: Anti-inflammatory for sprains, strains, headaches. Not suitable for everyone, so check the leaflet.
- Antihistamine tablets (cetirizine or loratadine): For allergic reactions, insect bites, hay fever. Non-drowsy formula for daytime use.
- Oral rehydration sachets: Essential for dehydration from heat, vomiting, or diarrhoea.
- Loperamide (anti-diarrhoeal): Worth having on any long trip.
- Antacid tablets: For indigestion from unfamiliar foods.
- Motion sickness tablets (meclizine or dimenhydrinate): Especially important for mountain passes and winding coastal roads.
- Hydrocortisone cream 1%: For insect bites, mild rashes, and skin irritation.
- Sunscreen SPF 30+: Not a medication, but a medical necessity. Reapply every 2 hours in sun exposure.
- After-bite/sting relief: Ammonia-based pen or antihistamine cream for immediate relief.
Personal Medications
Carry all personal prescription medications in their original packaging with the pharmacy label. Bring more than you need for the trip duration in case of delays. Keep medications in the passenger cabin, not the boot, as extreme heat in a parked car can degrade many drugs. If anyone in your group carries an adrenaline auto-injector (EpiPen), ensure at least one other person knows where it is and how to administer it.
Store your first aid kit in the passenger cabin, not buried in the boot under luggage. In an emergency you need it in seconds, not after unloading the boot. The seat-back pocket, under a front seat, or in the door pocket of a large door are all good locations.
Handling Common Road Trip Injuries
These are the situations you are most likely to encounter. Knowing the basics means you can handle them calmly rather than panicking.
Cuts and Scrapes
The most common road trip injury, usually from hiking, cooking, or unpacking.
- Wash your hands or put on nitrile gloves.
- Clean the wound under clean running water for at least one minute. If no tap is available, use your saline pods or bottled drinking water.
- Apply antiseptic wipe or solution around (not directly into) the wound.
- For small cuts, apply an adhesive plaster. For deeper cuts, use wound closure strips (Steri-Strips) to pull the edges together, then cover with a sterile gauze pad secured with tape.
- Change the dressing daily or whenever it gets wet or dirty.
Seek medical help if: the wound is deep enough to see fat or muscle, will not stop bleeding after 10 minutes of firm pressure, is from a rusty or dirty object and your tetanus is not current, or shows signs of infection (increasing redness, warmth, swelling, or pus) after 24–48 hours.
Sprains and Strains
Common from hiking, uneven terrain, or simply stepping awkwardly at a rest stop. Use the RICE method:
- Rest: Stop using the injured limb immediately.
- Ice: Apply your instant cold pack wrapped in a cloth for 15–20 minutes every 2–3 hours.
- Compression: Wrap with an elastic bandage, firm but not tight enough to restrict circulation. You should be able to slide a finger underneath.
- Elevation: Raise the injured area above heart level when resting.
Take ibuprofen for pain and inflammation. If you cannot bear weight on an injured ankle after 24 hours, or if there is significant bruising and deformity, seek medical attention to rule out a fracture.
Insect Bites and Tick Removal
Ticks are present across rural Europe, particularly in forests, grasslands, and areas with deer. They can transmit Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis.
- Check for ticks after every hike or outdoor activity, especially behind ears, in hairlines, armpits, and groin.
- Use a tick removal tool (not fingers or tweezers that squeeze the body). Slide the tool under the tick close to the skin and lift steadily upward. Do not twist, burn, or apply substances to the tick.
- Clean the bite area with antiseptic.
- Save the tick in a sealed container with the date noted. If symptoms develop, the tick can be tested.
- Watch the bite site for 30 days. A spreading circular rash (erythema migrans) is a hallmark of Lyme disease and requires antibiotic treatment. Seek medical help if this appears.
Heat and Cold Emergencies
Heat Exhaustion
Common during summer road trips, especially in southern Europe. Symptoms: heavy sweating, weakness, cold and clammy skin, nausea, headache, dizziness.
- Move to shade or an air-conditioned car immediately.
- Lie down with legs slightly elevated.
- Sip cool water slowly. Use oral rehydration salts if available.
- Apply cool, wet cloths to the neck, armpits, and forehead.
- If symptoms do not improve within 30 minutes, or if the person becomes confused or stops sweating (a sign of heatstroke), call emergency services immediately. Heatstroke is life-threatening.
Hypothermia
A risk for car campers, winter road trippers, and anyone caught unprepared in mountain weather. Symptoms progress from shivering and confusion to slurred speech, drowsiness, and loss of consciousness.
- Get the person into shelter. Your car with the heater running is fine.
- Remove any wet clothing and wrap in dry layers and emergency foil blankets.
- Give warm, sweet drinks if the person is fully conscious. No alcohol.
- Apply gentle warmth to the core (chest, neck, groin), not the hands and feet first.
- If the person is confused or losing consciousness, call emergency services. Do not leave them alone.
When to Seek Professional Medical Help
A first aid kit handles minor injuries. Knowing when something is beyond first aid is equally important.
Call Emergency Services (112 in Europe) For:
- Chest pain or difficulty breathing
- Suspected stroke (face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty)
- Severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis): swelling of face or throat, difficulty breathing, rapid pulse
- Loss of consciousness
- Severe bleeding that does not stop with pressure
- Suspected spinal or neck injury (do not move the person)
- Heatstroke (hot skin, no sweating, confusion)
- Burns larger than the person's palm or burns on the face, hands, feet, or joints
Visit a Local Doctor or Pharmacy For:
- Wounds that may need stitches (deep, gaping, or on the face)
- Suspected fractures (deformity, inability to bear weight, severe bruising)
- Infected wounds (spreading redness, warmth, pus)
- Persistent vomiting or diarrhoea lasting more than 24 hours
- High fever that does not respond to paracetamol/ibuprofen
- Tick bite followed by a rash
- Eye injuries
European pharmacies are generally good, and pharmacists can advise on and treat many minor conditions without a doctor visit. Look for the green cross. Our road trip health tips cover staying well on long drives, and if you're hurt in a collision, see what to do after an accident abroad.
Save the European emergency number 112 in your phone. It works in every EU country and most non-EU European countries. Also download the free first aid app from your national Red Cross society (the British Red Cross has one), which works without a signal.
Frequently asked questions
Can I carry prescription medications across European borders?
Yes, for your own use. Keep them in the original pharmacy packaging with the label. For controlled medicines (strong painkillers, ADHD medication, some anxiety medication), carry a letter from your prescriber. Schengen residents can use a Schengen certificate; UK travellers can't, so check each country's rules (via its embassy) before you go. Without paperwork, controlled medicines can be confiscated.
What if I need a doctor but do not speak the local language?
In most Western European countries, doctors and hospital staff speak functional English, especially in cities and tourist areas. Carry your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) for reduced-cost or free treatment in EU/EEA countries. For non-urgent issues, your travel insurance will have a helpline with multilingual staff who can direct you to an English-speaking doctor and arrange direct billing.
How often should I replace first aid kit supplies?
Check expiry dates every six months and before every trip. Adhesive plasters lose their stickiness over time. Antiseptic wipes and solutions expire. Medications have strict expiry dates after which they lose effectiveness. Elastic bandages lose their elasticity. After any trip where you used supplies, replace them before your next journey. Mark your calendar for a biannual check if you keep a kit in your car permanently.