What is an emergency QR code?
An emergency QR code is a code on your helmet, motorcycle or car that, when scanned with any phone camera, shows your key medical information —blood type, allergies, conditions— and lets the person helping you alert your family. No app is needed, and it can work without internet.
Updated on · By Pablo Porras (ChamoenMoto)
What is an emergency QR code for?
After a motorcycle crash, the first people on the scene —a witness, a police officer, a paramedic— rarely know who you are, your blood type or whom to call. If you are unconscious, you cannot tell them. An emergency QR code solves that exact moment. If you are ever the first one at a crash, read motorcycle accident first aid.
- Vital data in seconds: blood type, drug allergies, medical conditions and insurance.
- Family alert with one tap: the helper taps "Notify family" and your contacts get the alert with the location.
- Privacy built in: whoever scans never sees your contacts’ phone numbers; MásVidas notifies them for you.
How does it work, step by step?
- You create a MásVidas account and fill in your medical profile.
- You decide, field by field, what is public, what is private and what goes into the offline version.
- You stick the QR on your helmet and, as a backup, on the tank.
- After a crash, anyone scans it with their phone camera. No app required.
- They see your public data and can tap "Notify family", leaving their name, phone number, the location and, optionally, a photo of the scene.
- Your contacts get the alert by email and WhatsApp, with a map link and the reporter’s details so they can call back.
What should an emergency QR code include?
Just enough to get you the right care in the first minutes. Everything else can stay private, visible only to you in your dashboard.
| Data | Public? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Blood type | Yes | The first thing a paramedic needs if there is blood loss. |
| Drug allergies | Yes | Prevents them from giving you something harmful. |
| Medical conditions | Yes | Diabetes, epilepsy, asthma or a pacemaker change your care. |
| Regular medication | Recommended | Helps avoid interactions. |
| Health insurance | Optional | Speeds up transport and hospital admission. |
| Emergency contacts | Never shown | MásVidas notifies them without showing their numbers. |
| ID document | Private | Not needed for your care, and sensitive. |
Does it work without internet?
Yes. Every MásVidas QR has an offline version: your vital data is written inside the code itself, so the phone camera shows it even with no coverage, which is common on highways and rural roads.
Notifying your family does need a connection. With no signal at the scene, the helper still has your vital data to pass on to paramedics.
Where should you stick the emergency QR code?
- On your helmet: it stays with you if you are thrown from the bike. This is the most important spot.
- On the tank or fender: as a backup, visible to whoever attends the crash.
- On your passenger’s helmet: with their own profile, not yours.
- In your car: on the windshield or the driver’s door. See car emergency QR sticker.
Who can see my data?
Only what you mark as public. Each field can be public, private or offline-only, and you can change it anytime from your dashboard. Your contacts’ phone numbers never appear on the public profile.
If your helmet is lost or stolen, you deactivate that sticker in one click and generate a new one; the old code stops showing your data. More in our privacy policy.
How is it different from a medical ID bracelet?
| Emergency QR code | Engraved bracelet | Phone Medical ID | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the helper sees | The full profile you choose | A few engraved words | Whatever you set up on the phone |
| Easy to find? | Stuck in plain sight on helmet and bike | Must be spotted on the wrist | Helper must know to look on a locked phone |
| Can it be updated? | Yes, instantly | No, needs a new engraving | Yes |
| Alerts your family? | Yes, with one tap | No | Only if the phone survives and someone knows how |
They work together: if you already wear a medical ID bracelet, a QR on your helmet adds information that does not fit on an engraving. We go deeper in QR code vs. medical ID bracelet.
How much does MásVidas cost?
US$4.99 a year. It includes your account, the medical profile, unlimited emergency contacts, online and offline QR codes, and a printable PDF for your own sticker. Changed your mind? Request a refund within 5 days of activating it. See pricing.
An emergency QR code does not replace calling emergency services. If you witness a crash, call the local number first: 911 in the United States, 000 in Australia.