General Chat

Maybe if there are any diabetic people out there you may be able to give me some advice . If someone is tablet controled and they are put on insulin do they have to stop driving for any lengh of time, i have looked on several diabetic web sites but it doesnt realy give a clear picture, I just wondered if anyone has been in this situtation of going from tablets to insulin. Many thanks for any advice given Margaret xxx

Dad has always been on insulin but beware with your licence you have to tell DVLA and insurance companies and dad has to renew his licence every few years because of it. d x

Margaret i would contact your Gp or even your local pharamcist who can advise you on that.i would hate to sayxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx((((((((:

There's info on the DVLA website. Can't drive HGV or PSV but car is OK provided eyesight meets requirements. Need to notify DVLA.

Thanks Dawn , Lisa and Janice, yes i am aware you have to inform DVLA and insurence company i am going to go and have a read on their site .I was just wondering if there was any lengh of time that you may be without your licence before you went on to insulin once they had been informed . Margaret

Margaret My hubby eas on tablets to control diabetes and then had to go on Insulin 2x a day and we rang the DVLA who said he could keep drivingthe car.and he was ok. but everyone is different so ring DVLA and ask them. Suexxxxxx

As far as I am aware all you need to do is inform the DVLA of your medical circumstances, they will then give you the go ahead to continue to drive

I'm diabetic but diet and exercise only however he should seek the advice of his GP about driving in the short term. DVLA and his insurance company must be informed and told he is now injecting insulin. Failure to do so could result in him not being covered Insurance wise! When I told my insurance company about my diabetes they asked me to confirm I'd notified DVLA. DVLA responded by letter to my notification. When he does drive or even just goes out make sure he always carries emergency food with him ie a small bar of chocolate as his sugar levels can fluctuate especially as he's 'new' to injections There's a Diabetic thread on CONNECTIONS sister site to this one and one guy on there always tests his blood sugar levels prior driving. The thread on Connections is a good one and you could ask the same question there as there will be people on there who have gone thro the same thing. Hope this helps. Ron

Just a thought. If he also has heart problems (a lot of diabetics do) - like me for example I have IHD, such fact must also be made known to DVLA and Insurance Company. Ron

Anyone reading this who is diabetic should be aware of the need to ALWAYS carry emergency food when driving and to use it at the slightest indication that blood sugar levels are falling. Item below is extracted from a news report. Ron A diabetic driver blacked out at the wheel seconds before killing a district nurse who was walking on a pavement with her husband, a court has heard. Suzanne Meredith, 54, was killed instantly and her lecturer husband was injured in the crash near their home in Sully, Vale of Glamorgan, last summer. Phillip Willey, 45, of Barry, denies causing death by dangerous driving. He has been accused of failing to control his blood sugar levels during his journey leading to the blackout The court heard that Willey fell unconscious due to a diabetic attack just before the crash. Prosecutor Marion Lewis told the jury he was supposed to have a sugary snack on hand in his car in case of such an attack. 'He knew what he had to do but chose not to do it,' she said. 'He was driving dangerously on the day of the collision and he is criminally responsible.' Eyewitnesses told the court of Mr Willey's 'psychotic, terrible and dangerous' driving before the accident