Immediate assistance following an accident

24 Apr 2026 Mobility Stories / Safety on the road / News & Campaigns

When it comes to extricating people from a vehicle following a road traffic accident, swift and targeted assistance is crucial. To this end, emergency services require reliable information about the vehicle’s structure at an early stage. The rescue card, which is ideally stored behind the sun visor on the driver’s side, gives emergency services immediate access to this information. Although many fire services can now also retrieve the relevant rescue card via the control centre, this option is not available everywhere or at all times. An additional sticker on the windscreen therefore makes it easier for emergency services to locate the rescue card quickly, right on the vehicle itself.

Opening modern vehicles can present particular challenges for the emergency services. “Today’s cars increasingly feature high-strength materials, comprehensive airbag systems and new technologies. The highly robust passenger cell provides reliable protection for occupants. However, following serious collisions, it can make it difficult to extricate injured people quickly and lead to delays,” explains accident researcher Markus Egelhaaf from DEKRA.

It is crucial for rescue services to know quickly where on the vehicle body hydraulic rescue equipment can be applied safely and effectively. Equally important is information on the location of batteries – including the 12-volt battery – energy storage systems and safety-critical components. In addition, special precautions must be taken to ensure that no components of restraint systems are damaged whilst working on the vehicle. In the case of electric vehicles, the high-voltage system must also be reliably identified and deactivated.

What can motorists do? Print out a colour copy of their vehicle’s emergency card! Emergency cards can be downloaded from www.dekra.de/de/rettungskarte or obtained from the manufacturer. Check that the printout matches your own vehicle by referring to the model code and outline. Attach the rescue card behind the sun visor on the driver’s side. The ‘Rescue card in vehicle’ sticker is also helpful. It should be stuck to the windscreen on the driver’s side, in the top-left or bottom-left corner. Available free of charge at DEKRA locations or via the link above.