CPR training to form part of the driving theory test
From 2026, questions about life-saving first aid will be included in the DVSA’s driving theory test...
The driving theory test will soon include questions about life-saving first aid, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has decided.
From early 2026, people taking the test will need to know the basics of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to use a defibrillator in an emergency, building on the first aid content already included in the test.
According to the DVSA, drivers are often the first on-scene when someone suffers a cardiac arrest. The UK suffers from low cardiac arrest survival rates; of the 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests that occur each year, less than one in 10 survive.
However, when CPR is administered and a defibrillator is used within three to five minutes of collapse, survival rates can be as high as 70%.
This decision will aim to address these low rates by ensuring the 2.4 million learner drivers who take their theory test each year will have the knowledge to be able to respond in an emergency.
James Cant, Chief Executive Officer of Resuscitation Council UK, said, “By embedding these life-saving skills into such a widely taken assessment, we can help ensure that more people gain the knowledge and confidence to act during a cardiac arrest.”
Learner drivers will be tested on the correct depth to press down on a person’s chest during CPR and who is allowed to use a public access defibrillator, among other things. Official learning guides provided by the DVSA have already been updated with this information.
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