Grieving mum welcomes new driving test policy

It was the loss of her youngest son that prompted Meera Naran's road safety campaign

A road safety campaigner whose eight-year-old son died in a crash hopes a newly introduced policy will help prevent other tragedies.

Meera Naran, a senior lecturer in Leicester, said she first put proposals for the basics of CPR to be included in the driving theory exam forward to the government in 2021.

Her campaign followed the loss of her youngest son Dev, who died in a car crash on a smart motorway in 2018.

Now the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is planning to include questions about first aid in theory tests from 2026.

Ms Naran, who also lost her 16-year-old boy Neel last year to a life-limiting condition, said: "There's nothing I can do bring my boys back. If this small intervention can prevent another family from going through what we have then that means the world to me."

'Every second counts'

Due to her older son's condition - refractory epilepsy - the whole family were advised to have CPR and basic lifesaving training.

It was then when Ms Naran realised the importance of knowing how to respond in an emergency situation.

"I just very significantly remember [Dev, who was about five at the time] asking 'mummy, does everyone do this?' And that question stayed with me," she said.

"My children would now be turning 16 and 17 - two teenage boys nearing driving age.

"Having lost them both in very different circumstances, I know that waiting for emergency services can feel like an eternity, and in that moment, every second counts.

"This is an opportunity to not only educate and raise awareness for our young adults but also for our nation."

Ms Naran, 41, said losing both her boys was "the worst nightmare happening twice"

Driving theory tests will see additional first aid questions from 2026, according to the DVSA.

This will include questions about CPR, how to use a defibrillator and how to find it.

Bill Pope, the head of publishing at DVSA, said drivers were often first responders at a scene, and knowing what to do in an emergency situation could "improve survival rates".

"We want people not to freeze, to understand what they have to do and try what they can," he told the BBC.

Ms Naran says she is pleased about the introduction of the new policy but does not plan to stop there.

The next step, she says, will be educating people about the SOS button in newer models.

"For me, this is about bridging public health, education and road safety in one go," she said.

"Losing two children in such individual circumstances kind of throws you off your axis as a parent. It's the worst nightmare happening twice.

"So to work on my campaign and to see impactful changes, to see the Department for Transport listening and making strides on these changes, for me it's so important and it keeps me going."