Kindness · Ebbw Vale, Wales, UK
Zac Howells, 12, named Pride of Britain Child of Courage
What did Zac Howells do when his mum collapsed at the wheel?
Zac Howells, 12, from Ebbw Vale, won a Child of Courage award at the 2026 Pride of Britain Awards. His mother, Nicola, lost consciousness while driving at about 60mph on the A40 in Herefordshire. Zac steered the car into the central reservation to stop it, turned off the engine and called 999.
What happened?
Zac Howells, 12, from Ebbw Vale in Wales, won a Child of Courage award at the 2026 Pride of Britain Awards.
Last December, Zac and his mother, Nicola, were driving to a Christmas market in Warwickshire. On the A40 dual carriageway in Herefordshire, Nicola felt unwell. She slowed down and steered partly onto the verge. Then she lost consciousness.
The car’s automatic gearbox was still in drive. Her foot pressed on the accelerator, and the car moved back onto the dual carriageway at about 60mph.
What did Zac do?
Zac leaned across and grabbed the steering wheel. He steered the car into the central reservation to stop it. Then he turned off the engine and called 999.
“Basically I’m driving on a motorway and my mum just fainted so I had to crash the car to stop,” he told the call handler.
He used the car’s sat nav to give their exact location. Police and paramedics reached them quickly.
What happened next?
Nicola was unconscious for around seven minutes. Doctors found she had extremely low blood pressure. She was waiting for heart tests before driving again. Zac was left shaking but said he was fine.
“He literally saved our lives and who knows who else’s lives,” Nicola said. “He just knew he had to do something.”
What can families learn?
Zac stayed calm, stopped the car, made it safe and gave clear information to the emergency services. Knowing how to call 999 and describe your location is a skill children can learn early.
See every 2026 Pride of Britain winner and regional finalist.
Sources & reporting notes
We checked the Pride of Britain winner page and Yahoo News UK's list of 2026 winners, published on 19 October 2026. The award page says the incident happened 'last December' without giving the year. Nicola was waiting for heart tests when the profile was written.
- Pride of Britain Awards · Zac Howells
Official winner profile, including extracts from Zac's 999 call.
- Yahoo News UK · 19 October 2026
Full list of 2026 winners. Confirms his age, the road and how long his mother was unconscious.
Have a correction or a confirmed update? Contact our editorial team.
Common questions
- How did Zac help the emergency services find them?
- He used the car's sat nav to give the 999 call handler their exact location. This helped police and paramedics reach them quickly.
- What happened to Zac's mum?
- Nicola was unconscious for around seven minutes. Doctors found she had extremely low blood pressure, and she was awaiting heart tests before driving again.
