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Mercedes-Benz to use QR codes in cars to help car crash rescue teams

Technology by Mercedez-Benz has been developed which aims to help firefighters and paramedics get critical infromation needed to save car crash victims

Any smartphone or tablet computer with a camera can read a QR code

Any smartphone or tablet computer with a camera can read a QR code

New technology to help fire fighters and paramedics get critical information needed to save car crash victims has been developed by Mercedes-Benz – and will be made available to all vehicle manufacturers.

Rescue workers risk electrocution, fire or even explosion when working with cutting equipment at the scene of an accident - not to mention further hazards presented by the complex electronics in hybrid and electric vehicles. Currently, to combat these risks, many cars carry an A4 sheet of paper known as a 'rescue sheet.’

Pioneered by Adac - the German automobile club - it's recommended that the "rescue sheet" is carried inside the sun visor of the vehicle. These sheets are designed to point out the best places to cut the roof off and to show rescue crews the positions of airbags, gas generators, fuel tanks, gas bottles, structural reinforcements, batteries, high-voltage components, control points, seat belt tensioners - and more.

Currently, if a vehicle is damaged in a crash beyond recognition, these rescue sheets can be hard to access – or non-existent if the driver has failed to carry one. Without this, there is no way to look up the vehicle information without making telephone enquiries and using the registration lookup, which takes a lot of time and can sometimes be inaccurate.

Car Rescue Sheet A printed rescue sheet kept inside the car is of little use to firefighters arriving at the scene of some accidents.

Mercedes-Benz has come up with a solution. It will place a QR code that identifies the vehicle on the inside surface of the petrol tank flap, and another on the pillar built between the two doors on the car's other side, as it is rare that both areas are badly damaged in an accident.

Any smartphone or tablet computer with a camera can read a QR code. According to Mercedes-Benz, "The QR codes identify the vehicle reliably" - providing fundamental information about the vehicle immediately, and automatically directing the rescue worker to a website with the specific rescue sheet – generally in a matter of seconds.

Consisting of square black dots on a white background, QR Codes (or 'Quick Response Barcodes’ to give them their full title) were developed in 1994 by Denso-Wave, a division of Toyota in Japan, to quickly track and monitor car parts. They are more efficient and can store more information than their predecessor, the traditional barcode.

QR code stickers can also be retrofitted to older vehicles as Mercedes-Benz has produced rescue sheets for all vehicles since 1979, which will now be accessible electronically. Furthermore, patent rights have been waived for the idea, so other car manufacturers can make their own stickers for their own vehicles.

Arnold Clark operates five Mercedes-Benz branches across Scotland – so if you have any questions about this new technology, then just give your local branch a call or drop in to speak to one of our service advisors.

About the Author

Sam England

Staff writer at Arnold Clark

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