All new Mercedes-Benz and smart vehicles are now fitted with a black and white QR Code sticker under the fuel filler cap or charging port, and on the opposite B pillar, identified as areas which are easy to access and rarely are both damaged in an accident.

By scanning the code, emergency services will be given access to construction details such as the location of airbags, batteries and fuel tanks so that a hydraulic cutter can be used safely. The data is provided as a supplement to the rescue cards already made available for vehicles, and the right to make a patent application has been waived so the technology is accessible to all.

Sticker can be retrofitted to any Mercedes-Benz vehicle made from 1990 onwards, but must be done by an authorised dealer. Data is displayed in the user’s language, but defaults to English if this is not available, and an app which will allow this to be accessed without an internet connection will be available by the end of June 2014.

Christian Treiber, director, service & parts for Passenger Cars at Mercedes-Benz Global Service & Parts, explained: ‘Electronic access by means of a QR code enables Mercedes-Benz to support in the rescue of accident victims. The sticker is easy to retrofit to second-hand cars. So this safety benefit is something we can offer not just to owners of new Mercedes-Benz vehicles.'