After a Mom Passed Out Behind the Wheel at 60 mph, Her 12-Year-Old Son Took Control of the Car to Save Their Lives (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• A 12-year-old boy from the U.K. has been praised for his quick thinking after steering a car to safety when his mom suddenly passed out behind the wheel

• Zac Howells diverted the vehicle, which had been going at 60 mph, into the median strip and called the emergency services after his mom, Nicola, became unwell in December last year

• The now-teen is set to receive the Child of Courage award at the 2026 Pride of Britain Awards on Monday, Oct. 19, weeks after being surprised with the news by England soccer star Jude Bellingham

A 12-year-old boy from the U.K. has been hailed a hero after steering a car to safety after his mom suddenly passed out behind the wheel.

Zac Howells, now 13, and his mom, Nicola Crump, were driving on a highway at about 60 mph on their way to Wellesbourne Market, about 100 miles northwest of their hometown of Ebbw Vale, in Wales, when Nicola started to feel unwell.

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"We'd been traveling for half an hour when I started to feel hot," Nicola tells PEOPLE about the Saturday, Dec. 14 journey. "I said, 'Zac, I don't feel well. I think I've got to pull over.' "

She recalls pulling over and feeling as though she was going to faint. "As I passed out, my leg seized onto the pedal and the car started moving," she says. "The next thing I remember is waking up on the other side of the road, completely dazed."

"I asked, 'Have we crashed?' " she remembers. "Zac said, 'Yeah, Mom, but we're fine. Don't worry.' "

Speaking to PEOPLE, Zac says he felt "panic and fear" when his mom passed out and the car began to accelerate. "I started screaming and panicking, but then I calmed down and switched on," he says.

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He was able to steer the car into the median strip before calling 999, the U.K.'s emergency number, for help.

"When the car came to a stop, I was pretty shaken, but relieved," he says.

Nicola adds, "When I came round and held his hand, he was trembling. I think it was adrenaline and shock, and he hadn't really processed what had happened."

Zac was on the phone to the emergency services at the time, detecting their location from the car's GPS, and paramedics checked Nicola over when they arrived. They found that her blood pressure was extremely low, and she agreed to make a doctor's appointment the following Monday.

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"The ambulance crew dropped us at a nearby Starbucks while the police moved my car to a lay-by," she tells PEOPLE. "The woman working there started crying when she heard what had happened. That was when I started to realize how serious it might have been."

Ten months on, and Nicola still doesn't know exactly what happened, though she does have a cardiology appointment coming up soon. "Hopefully they'll say there's nothing to worry about," she says, "I haven't been told whether it was anxiety, a one-off or something else."

Zac's life has mostly returned to normal. He says school is "not too bad," and he's happiest hanging out with friends and spending time on sports, motorcycles and collecting cologne. Though he enjoys the attention he's received, his mom says it can sometimes get "tiring."

Zac has enjoyed some special opportunities, however, including interviewing the cast of Spider-Man over the summer. He has also won the Child of Courage award at the 2026 Pride of Britain Awards, news that made Nicola burst into tears.

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He was led to believe he was taking part in a documentary, and that tickets to an England soccer game at London's Wembley Stadium were a thank-you for participating. Instead, he was surprised with the news of his win by England and Real Madrid soccerr star Jude Bellingham.

"We were sitting pitchside [on the soccer field] when Jude came out and surprised him," Nicola says. "He had no idea what was going on until the very end."

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Both mom and son are looking forward to the ceremony at Grosvenor House, a luxury London hotel, on Monday, Oct. 19.

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"I think he's looking forward to dressing up, having his hair done and looking sharp," Nicola says. "He doesn't always realize how big these opportunities are, because he's happiest being out with his friends."

Although Zac was able to act fast to save himself and his mom, Nicola says parents should talk to their children about what to do if an adult becomes unwell while driving. "If anyone could learn something from this, it might be to have that conversation," she says.

Read the original article on People

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