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When driving, it is necessary to have the legally required equipment in the car. Mandatory equipment is a set of tools and accessories that you must have in your car if you are traveling on public roads. Due to constant technological development, this equipment changes over the years. The equipment needs to be checked from time to time, specifically the completeness and expiration date. If you do not do so and your mandatory equipment is not complete, you may be fined up to CZK 2,000.
In the Czech Republic, the following items are part of the mandatory vehicle equipment:
Mandatory equipment in the Czech Republic
In the Czech Republic, the following items are part of the mandatory vehicle equipment:
- spare wheel
- wrench for the nuts or bolts of the vehicle’s wheels
- manual jack
- FIRST AID KIT
- warning triangle
Spare wheel and tools to change it
A spare wheel, or spare wheel, together with a wrench for wheel nuts or bolts, is a mandatory part of the vehicle. However, the law provides several exceptions. A spare wheel is not required for those vehicles that are equipped with specially designed tires that enable emergency driving after a puncture and at the same time can indicate a puncture in any of the tires.
The criteria for the mentioned exception are met, for example, by long-distance tires, also referred to as run-flat tires. However, they can only be used on vehicles that are equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system, or TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System).
The second exception is vehicles that are equipped with means for repair of damaged tires without disassembly enabling emergency access. The third exception applies to vehicles with an appropriate contractual relationship, on the basis of which the repair of a damaged tire will be ensured continuously throughout the territory of the Czech Republic. Between the most famous assistance services in the Czech Republic include:
If you do not meet any of the exceptions, all the mentioned parts for changing a wheel must be part of your mandatory equipment – a spare, a wrench or screws and a jack or lever.
First aid kit and its contents
The vehicle must have a first-aid kit that meets the criteria given by law and contains everything required by law. The amount of individual medical items in each of the three categories is given in the table below. Passenger cars, trucks and vans belong to category no. I. The specifications for size category I are as follows:
| Medical material | quantity (pcs) | |||
| first aid kit size | ||||
| I. | II. | III. | ||
| Dressing ready with 1 pad (width at least 8 cm, absorbency at least 800 g/m²) | 3 | 5 | 10 | |
| Dressing ready with 2 pads (width at least 8 cm, absorbency at least 800 g/m²) | 3 | 5 | 10 | |
| Patch smooth coil (size 2.5 cm × 5 m, min. stickiness 7 N / 25 mm) | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| Choke rubber bandage (60 × 1250 mm) | 1 | 3 | 5 | |
| Rubber (latex) surgical gloves in packaging | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| Scissors bent (with an inclination) in anti-corrosion treatment with rounded tips – length at least 14 cm | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Isothermal film (min. size 200 × 140 cm) | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Warning triangle and other emergency means
You must also have a warning triangle in your car. Use it during an emergency stop and if the vehicle is an obstacle to road traffic. You must place the triangle on the edge of the road so that it is clearly visible to oncoming drivers in time. It is located at a distance at least 50 m, on the highway at least 100 m behind the vehicle. In the village, this distance can be shorter if the circumstances require it.
In connection with the use of the triangle in an emergency situation, the question of a reflective vest arises. A reflective vest is not part of the mandatory car equipment. However, it is necessary to have it in the car, because the law requires the driver to wear a vest if he is outside the vehicle on the road in connection with an emergency stop.
