Every car in Germany must carry a warning triangle and a first aid kit, and since 1 July 2014 a safety vest as well. Since a change in the rules in 2015, every applicant for a driver’s license must complete a first aid course of at least nine teaching units of 45 minutes. Smoke detectors are also required by law. Rhineland-Palatinate required them in new buildings from 2003, earlier than any other state. Today the duty applies in all 16 states. The last deadline for fitting them in existing homes ended in Saxony on 31 December 2023.