Everything You Need in a Motorcycle First-Aid Kit

Whether you are a seasoned rider or just starting to get into riding, it is important to make sure you ride with a first-aid kit. While many stores and retailers sell premade kits that claim to have everything you could ever need. Often times, riders require some more specialized equipment. A few packs of bandages, some disinfectant and a cheap pair of scissors are not likely to do the job effectively should you actually need first aid while out on a ride.

For these reasons, we encourage all motorcyclists that are looking to get themselves a first-aid kit to make one of their own. The decisions on what you want to include depend on how much you are looking to spend on the supplies, as well as how much room you have to carry them. Riders will require specific supplies, given that they are especially susceptible to:

• Cuts and scrapes: Falling from your bike and hitting the road can often result in road burn or lacerations, which can cause bleeding
• Burns: This can include sunburn, as well as heat burns from hot motorcycle parts such as exhaust pipes
• Eye injuries: Your eyes are at risk to debris from the road being kicked up, the wind blowing small objects into them or even insect collisions or stings
• Other serious injuries: This can include fractures and trauma to the head, neck, spine, chest and abdomen

Considering these risk factors, here are some valuable supplies we would recommend you put in your first-aid kit:

• A compact first-aid booklet or guide
• At least two pairs of nitrile gloves
• Antimicrobial hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
• Bandages with a variety of shapes and sizes to accommodate small cuts and scrapes
• Antibiotic ointment packets to clean wounds before bandaging
• Sting relief and burn gel
• At least four large sterile gauze pads
• Trauma shears in the event you need to cut through leather to treat a wound
• An emergency blanket to help retain body heat or to keep a person dry during rainfall
• Glow sticks to improve visibility if an injury occurs at night
• Heavy-duty plastic bags to dispose of used or contaminated supplies
• Small packs of various over-the-counter medications in such as pain relievers, antihistamines, antacids, electrolyte supplements, etc.
• Tweezers to remove any small bits of debris that may be lodged in the skin
• Triangular bandage for slings or padding, if fractures are suspected

All of these items can help you treat anything from minor scrapes and cuts to injuries that are more serious while you wait for paramedics to arrive. If you would like to learn more about how to treat injuries at an accident scene, we recommend that you take an Accident Scene Management (ASM) course to learn what first-aid challenges you may encounter and how to treat them.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident, please contact the skilled attorneys at Hupy and Abraham. For over 50 years, our attorneys have worked with thousands of injured riders and helped them recover millions of dollars for their injuries. Give us a call at 800-800-5678 or chat online with us 24/7 at hupy.com to begin building your case.

For more relevant news and articles for bikers, please check out our Current News for Riders page on hupy.com.