QR Code Rescue Sticker: Mercedes-Benz Westpoint Star 6017

QR Code Rescue Sticker

When an accident occurs and the vehicle is seriously damaged, the priority for rescue services is to free the occupants.

This can be extremely dangerous for both occupants and first responders since the vehicle is equipped with many components which are potentially hazardous after an accident, such as high voltage wiring, fuel lines and airbags. While Mercedes-Benz information has been available to rescue teams for decades, it was traditionally provided in a printed format or downloadable as a .pdf document and stored inside the vehicle. This can be difficult and time consuming to access if the car is severely damaged.

Today, it can be accessed by scanning a QR code with a smartphone or tablet, providing immediate access to a detailed rescue card which contains all of the structural details specific to a vehicle model. This includes the location of airbags, battery, high strength steel (HSLA) and fuel tank, to name a few, so emergency services have the necessary information available to minimise the risks involved when freeing occupants.

Thanks to this simple but significant solution, emergency services at the scene have a key advantage in the fight against time. Using the QR code, they can respond more quickly. In an emergency, these stickers can help to save lives.

Since the end of 2013, Mercedes-Benz vehicles have progressively been fitted with QR code rescue stickers during production. Vehicles produced from 1990 which do not have QR code rescue stickers can now be retrofitted at your authorised Mercedes-Benz dealership.

To check whether your vehicle is fitted with QR code rescue stickers, you can inspect the fuel filler door or the opposite B-pillar of your vehicle.

Simply call our Service Department to arrange an appointment to have a QR code rescue sticker fitted to your vehicle.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Which Mercedes-Benz vehicles in Australia are equipped with QR code rescue stickers?

What is the rescue card?

•   A compact information sheet showing vehicle-specific access points for emergency services. It shows design details such as the location of airbags, battery and tanks.
•   This information is available as a print-out for Mercedes-Benz passenger car series and models whose production started from 1971 onwards.
•   Rescue cards are already made available for all Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

Who uses the rescue card?

•   Emergency services and rescue services.
•   Police/Fire/Ambulance.
•   SES.

What problems arise after an accident?

After a car accident involving severe damage, emergency services may first need to rescue the occupants from the vehicle. In the absence of specific vehicle information, this can be dangerous for everybody involved. For example, rescue shears must not be applied in the area of the airbags, as the pyrotechnical gas generators can burst when severed and therefore present a serious danger to bystanders, rescue personnel and vehicle occupants.

What is the innovation introduced by Mercedes-Benz and smart?

Mercedes-Benz is the world’s first manufacturer to offer direct QR code rescue sticker access to the vehicle-specific rescue card for its passenger car models – for Mercedes-Benz vehicles from production year 1990 and all smart vehicles. Thanks to its standardised locations, this QR code rescue sticker can be rapidly found and scanned using a smartphone or tablet. All that is required to scan QR codes is a freely downloadable app.

How does a QR code work? Try it for yourself!

1. Photograph the attached QR code with a smartphone or tablet, using an app (apps available free of charge, for example ‘QR Code Reader’ for Apple and Android.
2. The apps decode the QR code and access the Internet site concerned.
3. The server responds “dynamically” to the enquiry.
4. The rescue card is scaled to fit the display size of the portable device (smartphone, tablet etc.) perfectly.

Where are QR code rescue stickers affixed?

To ensure that the QR code is easy to find, the rescue stickers are affixed inside the fuel filler flap and on the opposite B-pillar. According to the latest accident research, these two areas are easily accessible from outside, and only in rare cases are both severely damaged.

What are the advantages of the QR code rescue sticker?

•   The QR code is accessible from outside, and therefore usually easier to reach than a rescue card behind the sun visor.
•   No time-consuming vehicle identification and no manual navigation through Internet pages are required.
•   There is no possibility of error on the part of the user/rescue personnel when identifying the vehicle model.
•   The method is suitable for all vehicle types – with both conventional and alternative drive systems.
•   Thanks to access via an Internet site, the information is available to all and updates are possible.
•   The QR code rescue sticker is easy to retrofit.