All drivers will have to learn how to use a vital piece of equipment if they want to pass
New questions are being added to the UK’s theory test for learner drivers this autumn in a bid to save lives. Driving theory tests will include enhanced first aid questions from autumn 2025. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is expanding the theory test question bank to include enhanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) content and add questions about automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for the first time
The driving theory test is taken by learner drivers before they can book their driving test. The test has two parts that are booked and taken together, 50 multiple choice questions and a round of hazard perception.
Around 2.4 million theory tests are taken each year, with a pass rate of 45.7% between July and September 2024. Drivers are often first on the scene when someone suffers a cardiac arrest. Data from Resuscitation Council UK shows more than 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the UK each year, but fewer than 1 in 10 people currently survive.
However, when CPR is given and an AED used within 3 to 5 minutes of collapse, survival rates can reach 70%. Every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by up to 10%, making immediate bystander intervention crucial while waiting for emergency services.
From autumn 2025, car and motorcycle theory test candidates will need to familiarise themselves with CPR techniques including proper hand placement and compression rates and how to use automated external defibrillators
The questions will be added to other theory test types later.
Example questions
An adult casualty is not breathing. To maintain circulation, CPR should be given. What’s the correct depth to press down on their chest?
- 1 to 2 centimetres
- 5 to 6 centimetres
- 10 to 15 centimetres
- 15 to 20 centimetres
Who can use a public access defibrillator (AED)?
- Paramedics only
- First aiders only
- Doctors only
- Everyone
The correct answer to question one is 5 to 6 cms and for question 2 it is Everyone.
The programme represents collaboration between DVSA and leading organisations including Save a Life programmes in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, plus Resuscitation Council UK. Len Nokes, Chair of Save a Life Cymru , whose daughter Claire died from complications following cardiac arrest in 2017, said: ” When Claire had her cardiac arrest, some knowledge of CPR might have made a difference.
“We hope that by making CPR and defibrillator use part of the theory test, we will significantly increase the number of people with this life-saving awareness.”
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.”
Mark Winn, DVSA Chief Driving Examiner, said: ” Part of being a safe and responsible driver is knowing what to do in an emergency – how to step in and make a real, life-saving difference. Learning CPR and how to use an AED is a very simple skill and adding this into the official learning resource is a great way for DVSA to support the drive to raise awareness.”
Cardiac arrest: what it is
A cardiac arrest is when your heart suddenly stops pumping blood around your body. They can be caused by:
- dangerous heart rhythm disorders
- heart attack (this is when blood flow to part of the heart muscle is blocked, which can then trigger dangerous heart rhythms that stop the heart from pumping effectively)
- heart muscle and structural problems
- severe blood loss or oxygen shortage
- other factors, such as electrocution or drug overdoses
Signs and symptoms that suggest a person has gone into cardiac arrest include:
- they appear not to be breathing
- they’re not moving
- they do not respond to any stimulation, such as being touched or spoken to
- If you think somebody has gone into cardiac arrest
- Call 999 (on speakerphone) immediately and start doing CPR.
- If there is someone with you, ask them to find an AED and use it as soon as you can.
