The two reasons we are changing our car first aid kit after 40 years

Critics may say that with the new first aid kit we are required to have in our cars from June 18, the government is essentially asking us to take responsibility for any inadequacies in prevention and handling extreme weather events or sudden incidents that might leave us stranded.

In case you missed the news, the new first aid kit now contains 16 items. If we don’t comply, a fine of 30 euros will be imposed in case of a traffic inspection.

Key Features of the New Car First Aid Kit

The new first aid kit is already available on the Greek market. Make sure the one you buy mentions that it complies with the European standard DIN 13164.

DIN stands for Deutsches Institut für Normung, which is the gold standard in the industrial world for products made with absolute precision.

The 13164 refers to the content — it defines the items that must be present, their dimensions, and their quality.

Ideally, look for the 2022 edition and keep in mind that the car first aid kit must be renewed every two years due to high temperatures that could degrade the materials.

Also, dispose of any gauze that has passed its expiration date.

Furthermore, remove the first aid kit from the trunk and place it somewhere easily accessible.

If you have a new car, you likely already have the new first aid kit. Check to see what’s missing. The rest will need to pay between 10 and 23 euros.

The Truth Behind the Decision

The news was reported as the “decision of the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Konstantinos Kyranakis.”

In reality, this is about full alignment with the European standard DIN 13164:2022, which has been in place since February 2022 and became mandatory in Germany on January 31, 2023.

The use of the German standard was not implemented uniformly and simultaneously across all EU member states. As usual, we were late to adopt it. Probably not to see if it works well where it’s being used. The two main reasons for the first change in 40 years.

For the record, the car first aid kit had not been updated in Greece since the 1970s. Although the EU has evolved since then, we stuck to traditions. Reports indicate that this delay has been a point of criticism in the EU’s annual reports, especially since the country is under scrutiny and pressure from the European Commission regarding its road safety performance.

We did not pay a fine for the delay, but failing to implement European guidelines on product safety and consumer protection could lead to infringement procedures.

The issuance of the new decision (D30/45652/2026) “closes” the legislative gap, and thus the process leading to fines is halted.

New Products in the Car First Aid Kit

Items that the old, traditional car first aid kit lacked and the new one now includes:

• A thermal rescue blanket, at least 210×160 cm, because you never know if you’ll get stranded in the snow, and you’ll need to avoid hypothermia.
• Special burn pads, sized 40×60 and 60×80, to remember what happens every summer.
• A medical face mask (type IIR or FFP2).
• First aid scissors (DIN 58279-A 145 specifications).
• Wet skin cleansing wipes — not for grooming, but for use around wounds.

By the way, the bandages that were already included now have specific requirements: there must be three different sizes of sterile individual bandages and two sizes of elastic bandages.

The same applies to adhesive bandages (now you must have a set of 14 pieces in various sizes) and gloves (four pieces, large size, made of vinyl or nitrile).

Everything must carry the CE marking, which acts as a “passport” for products to circulate within the EU and guarantees the safety of materials, sterilization, and durability. Pay attention to make sure that next to the CE, it mentions Conformité Européenne and not China Export.