Driving and diabetes

[Tim]

Do you have issues relating to driving (a car, not people mad) and diabetes? If so, discuss them here!

[Tim]

I’m a freak who doesn’t even have a driving licence, so I can’t contribute much here. Bah!

[Stephen]

Issues, no. The ;

[Anonymous]

They can arrest you for having high blood sugar whilst driving?

[Stephen]

Not sure arrest is the right word, but they can do you for being in an unfit state to drive (that means low, and the legal value is below 5.5) – then the DVLA will take your licence away.

For anyone taking an interest in this (if you don’t already know ….)

1) If you even think you are feeling low, pull over immediately.
2) Take the keys out of the ignition and throw them in the back (legal loophole, you are no longer in control of the car.)
3) Get out of the drivers seat (same principle.)
4) Eat (I always have glucotabs in the glove box and biscuits in the boot.)

[Annette A]

5.5? But aren’t most/a lot/a fair number (delete as appropriate) of non diabetics at about 5 except just after a meal? Does that mean they’re unfit to drive? (Would explain my husband’s driving ‘skill’…)

[Stephen]

@Annette I only shared what I had drummed into me by my nurse, I stand as always to be proved wrong

I did find this link http://www.diabetes.co.uk/driving-with-diabetes.html which says not to drive for 40 minutes after getting blood sugar back up to 4 – it also covers the points I listed above.

[Stephen]

OK I’ll retract the 5.5 statement, I just found three NHS papers that say not to drive below 4.0

[Hairy Gnome]

At risk of trying to teach all you grannies to suck eggs, the first thing that any new T2 recruits to the insulin dependant, pancreatically challenged horde has to do, is make sure they notify the DLA. This usually means having to renew your licence every three years, and having it restricted to vehicles not exceeding 3.5 tonnes gross weight. Sadly, this means that when I come up on the lottery and win zillions of pounds, I won’t be able to buy the biggest motorhome in the world.

I guess the problem of even obtaining a licence is much more complicated for T1s, especially if prone to frequent hypos. Life is, as they say, a bitch!

[Anonymous]

@Teloz Ah yes but life may not be such a bitch if you want a pump state that your driving effected by hypo’s and need better control, need to drive because of job, otherwise life, spouse/partner and kids and don’t forget dog/cat etc will not be fed as no job due to no licence eg GIVE ME PUMP NOW!

Double vision ! when as a passenger on a motorway is not much fun thank god I wasn’t driving at the time!

The rhyme I was taught when you reach 4 your on the floor!

[Cecile]

@mustard: So 3D-stuff doubles up for you? I’ve experienced hypoglycaemic diplopia in front of the TV and while watching a film (which wasn’t a double feature), but I’m still aware that the TV-set itself and fellow viewers remain single…

[Annette A]

I often find I can tell I’m going hypo when watching TV before other symptoms kick in – the vision thing is more obvious when trying to watch TV than just looking at life.

[Author]

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