Mercedes Benz QR Codes

Mercedes Benz cars will soon carry Quick Response (QR) code stickers to aid emergency services in the event of an accident.

The rescue of trapped occupants from a crashed vehicle is actually an extremely risky business for the emergency services, modern cars contain a multitude of hazards from air bags to fuel tanks and batteries so knowing where these dangers are located helps to speed up the rescue and cuts risk to the rescuers.

Quick Response codes can be seen everywhere these days in the form of small, usually black on white, square barcodes. You may have seen one without even realising, they appear on magazines, ticketing, tracking systems, etc. and they store information that can be accessed by a dedicated QR reading device, smart phones and even some cameras. QR codes were invented by a Japanese car parts maker in 1994, they are enormously popular in Japan and across the east and are now gaining ground in the west, no doubt they will soon be seen everywhere.

Mercedes Benz will position two stickers on their new cars, one under the fuel tank filler flap and the other on the B pillar (between the two doors) on the opposite side, the reason for this is that it is highly unlikely both areas will suffer damage in an accident. Emergency service rescue crews will then just scan one of the codes with their smartphones which will instantly link them to a webpage showing schematic diagrams of how to safely cut into that particular type of vehicle in order to release a trapped occupant.

This is truly innovative and will undoubtedly save lives, Mercedes Benz have decided to waive any patent rights, allowing other manufacturers to take advantage of the technology without charge.

Special Thanks to roland for providing the QR code image.