People sitting their driving theory test will soon need to swot up on life-saving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills, the UK’s Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has decided.<\/p>\n
All road users are being encouraged to learn the basics and know how to use a defibrillator in an emergency.<\/p>\n
It’s hoped the questions, which will be added to the car and motorcycle theory test in early 2026, could prevent avoidable deaths.<\/p>\n
Drivers are often first on the scene when someone suffers a cardiac arrest, says the DVSA.<\/p>\n
Adding the information into the official learning materials means that the 2.4 million learner drivers who take their theory test each year will have a better understanding of the skills to use in an emergency, it says.<\/p>\n
Learning materials have already been updated with the new content, including questions such as \u00ab\u00a0Who can use a public access defibrillator?\u00a0\u00bb – the answer being \u00ab\u00a0everyone\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n
A defibrillator gives a jolt of energy to the heart, which can help get it beating normally.<\/p>\n
The devices are designed to be user-friendly, with clear instructions.<\/p>\n
If CPR is given and a defibrillator used within the first minutes of collapse, survival rates could be as high as 70%, evidence suggests. Without it, fewer than one in 10 survive.<\/p>\n
If someone is unconscious and not breathing normally, call 999 and start CPR straight away.<\/p>\n
This can be \u00ab\u00a0hands-only\u00a0\u00bb CPR to deliver timely chest compressions to get blood pumping.<\/p>\n
One of the new theory test questions is about the correct depth to push down.<\/p>\n
To carry out a chest compression, the NHS advises:<\/p>\n
James Cant, chief executive of Resuscitation Council UK, said: \u00ab\u00a0We’re delighted to be working with the DVSA and other partners to introduce CPR and defibrillator awareness into the driving theory test.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0By embedding these life-saving skills into such a widely taken assessment, we can help ensure that more people, from all communities, gain the knowledge and confidence to act during a cardiac arrest.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
People sitting their driving theory test will soon need to swot up on life-saving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills, the UK’s Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has decided. All road users are being encouraged to learn the basics and know how to use a defibrillator in an emergency. It’s hoped the questions, which will be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9073","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9073\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}