Learner drivers will be tested on their CPR skills in updated theory test
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said motorists are often 'first on the scene' when someone suffers a cardiac arrest.
Adding questions on cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillators to the examination from early next year means candidates will 'have a better understanding of the skills to use in an emergency', it added.
More than 40,000 people in the UK suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year with fewer than one in ten making it through.
Research has found survival rates can be as high as 70 per cent if CPR is given and a defibrillator used within three to five minutes of collapse.
Mark Winn, chief driving examiner of the DVSA which oversees tests in Britain, 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 a defibrillator is a very simple skill, and adding this into the official learning resource is a great way for DVSA to support the driver to raise awareness.' The push for the change was led by Professor Len Nokes, chairman of the Welsh Government-funded Save a Life Cymru scheme whose daughter Claire, 24, died in 2017 from complications after a cardiac arrest.
He said: 'Some knowledge of CPR might have made a difference. I don't want any other family to go through this experience.
'All of us in this partnership hope that, by making CPR and how to use a defibrillator part of the test, we will be able to significantly increase the number of people who have this life-saving awareness.' James Cant, chief executive of the charity 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.'
Learners must pass the theory test before booking a practical test. Candidates are required to get at least 43 out of 50 multiple-choice questions correct, covering areas such as road signs, traffic laws, vehicle safety and first aid. They must also pass a hazard perception video test.
More than two million theory tests are taken each year with a pass rate of about 45 per cent.
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