What is an emergency QR sticker?
It is a durable label carrying a QR code — often paired with an NFC chip — tied to one web page. That page is not your medical file. It holds only what you decided to make visible: a blood type, a severe allergy, the number of someone who should be called.
The sticker itself stores nothing. It points at an address, which is why you can change what it shows without ever replacing the sticker.
How does scanning work?
- The sticker sits somewhere visible: windscreen, side window, fuel tank, helmet, bike frame.
- Someone at the scene opens their phone camera and points it at the code.
- The phone offers a link; tapping it opens your emergency page in the browser.
- They read what is shown and can call your emergency contact with one tap.
Everything happens in an ordinary browser. The person helping installs nothing and creates no account.
What does the person scanning see?
A plain page, readable on a small screen in bright daylight, containing only the fields you filled in:
- the display name you chose;
- your blood type, if you added one;
- allergies, current medication and conditions worth knowing;
- organ donor or blood donor status, if you switch it on;
- your emergency contacts, with tap-to-call buttons;
- optionally the linked vehicle: type, make, model, year, plate;
- a free-text message, for example if the item is lost.
Why a QR code matters in an emergency
Because the person involved often cannot speak. A dazed driver, a rider still wearing a helmet, someone in a diabetic crisis: in each case the most useful facts — who to call, what to watch out for — are locked inside a phone nobody can open.
A visible sticker moves that information outside, where a stranger can find it without going through someone's pockets. It is also what gets a family member informed early, sometimes before the hospital does.
QR vs NFC: what is the difference?
- QR is optical. Almost every recent smartphone camera reads it, from a distance, even through closed glass.
- NFC is radio. You hold the phone within a couple of centimetres of the sticker. Faster when it works, but NFC is not always enabled and some phones do not have it.
Both open the same page. NFC is the convenience; QR is the fallback that works in the widest range of situations. Combining them beats choosing one.
Does the scanner need an app?
No. On iPhone and on most recent Android phones the built-in camera recognises QR codes, and the emergency page then opens like any website.
An account is only needed by the owner, to build and update the profile. The person helping needs nothing.
What to share — and what to leave out
- Worth sharing: blood type, drug allergies, blood thinners, epilepsy, diabetes, an implant, spoken language, two emergency contacts.
- Leave out: your full home address, ID or licence numbers, payment details, a long medical history, and anyone else's information without their consent.
How privacy actually works
An emergency page has to open without a password, otherwise it is useless at the moment it is needed. Protection therefore comes from restraint, not from a lock.
With AutoAide the public page is reached through a random public identifier unrelated to your account, so nobody can guess a stranger's page, and your account e-mail and account identity are never displayed. Every field is optional and can be removed at any time.
Where to put it
- Car: lower corner of the windscreen on the driver's side, or the lower front side window.
- Motorcycle: fuel tank, front mudguard, or the back of the helmet.
- Bicycle: frame tube or stem.
- Person: backpack, wristband or phone case — useful for runners and children.
One rule of thumb: if you have to explain where it is, it is in the wrong place.
Who benefits most
- Drivers and riders, especially on long trips.
- Anyone with a severe allergy, heavy medication or a chronic condition.
- Cyclists, runners and hikers who often go out alone.
- Families: older parents, children, newly licensed drivers.
- Clubs, driving schools and fleets equipping several vehicles.
How AutoAide puts this together
- Build an emergency profile and choose, field by field, what is visible.
- Activate your sticker once so it is tied to your page.
- Stick it on the vehicle, helmet or bag.
- Update your details whenever they change — the sticker never has to.
A scan always reaches the current version of your page, because the sticker points at an address rather than at frozen data.
Frequently asked questions
- Does scanning call emergency services automatically?
- No. Scanning opens a page of information. Calling for help stays a human action, and it should always come first.
- Do I need an app to scan the code?
- No. A recent smartphone camera is enough in most cases, and the page then opens in the browser.
- What if my phone is locked or broken?
- The sticker works independently of your phone. That is the whole point: the information stays reachable when your phone is not.
- Can I change my details later?
- Yes, as often as you like. The sticker links to your page, and you control what the page contains.
- Can anyone read my medical details?
- Only someone with physical access to the sticker, or with the link, can open the page — and they see only the fields you chose to publish, never your account e-mail or account identity.
- QR, NFC, or both?
- Both when possible: NFC is quicker where it is supported, QR works on almost any phone.
Build your emergency page
Fill in an emergency profile, decide what is visible, then link an AutoAide sticker to your vehicle or helmet.