The latest batch of questions about to be added to the theory test focus on health – namely cardiac arrests. This is when a person’s heart suddenly stops pumping blood around their body.
Building on the first aid content already in the test, the new questions will probe your knowledge of two key lifesaving processes:
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (known as CPR), which is the emergency procedure you can carry out on someone whose heart has stopped beating.
- Automated external defibrillators (AEDs), which is the equipment you use to ‘kick start’ the person’s heart.
Beating the odds
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), the folk responsible for the theory test, say the inclusion of questions is an attempt to help address the UK’s low cardiac arrest survival rates.
For instance, there are 40,000+ out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year with only 1 in 10 people surviving. However, if you know how to perform CPR and operate an AED, that survival rate increases dramatically to up to 70% if they are used within three to five minutes of the person collapsing.
In other words, if we’re all more aware of how to manage a cardiac arrest at the side of the road or after an accident, we could all massively improve the victim’s chances of survival.
What to expect
To give you an idea of what kind of questions you should expect in the theory test, the DVSA offers these two examples – check out the right answers at the end of this blog post:
1. 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
2. Who can use a public access defibrillator (AED)?
- Paramedics only
- First aiders only
- Doctors only
- Everyone
The big questions
The new questions are being introduced into the car and motorcycle theory test from this autumn. You’ll need to familiarise yourself with CPR techniques (including where to place your hands as well as compression rates), plus know how to use automated external defibrillators.
That might sound like a tall order but there are already plenty of resources out there to help get you up to speed including the latest DVSA learning guides including:
- The Official DVSA Guide to Driving – the essential skills
- The Official DVSA Guide to the Theory Test for Car Drivers
- The Official DVSA Theory Test kit online for PC/Mac
- The Official DVSA Theory Test kit app for Apple phones and tablets
- The Official DVSA Theory Test kit app for Android phones and tablets
Need a more in-depth look at what to do? Then check out How to do CPR and use defibrillators from Resuscitation Council UK.
“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.”
• Mark Winn, Chief Driving Examiner, DVSA
Know Your Code
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Answers: 1. B, 2. D