Driving and Diabetes
The law has looked upon diabetics largely as not being safe to drive on the roads for several years now. There has been a great deal of debate as to how fair the laws surrounding this issue are. Being diabetic doesn't automatically mean that you cannot drive in the UK, yet a new EU directive looks set to clamp down even tighter on diabetic drivers. The new rules have come under a great deal of criticism, with many people claiming that they are simply too strict.
Major diabetes organisation Diabetes UK opposes the changes strongly and has made an appeal for the decision to be revoked. The Department of Transport are due to introduce the legislation in early October and it is expected that over 1 million drivers could be taken off the roads. People diagnosed with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes will be subject to strict decisions on whether they are deemed safe to be on the road.
There are already several laws surrounding diabetic drivers. At present, anyone that treats diabetes with insulin will not be allowed to drive heavy goods vehicles, a decision that has caused a great deal of controversy. There have been countless campaigns for the Department of Transport to review the legislation, but the latest twist only means that it is getting tougher for diabetic drivers to obtain a license. The law doesn't take into account that the severity of diabetes that people encounter varies hugely from case to case. Some people are at risk of backing out regularly, whilst others simply aren't.
Until now, the law has defined a hypo as an episode where by the sufferer requires assistance from another person in order to bring them round. The current definition refers to an episode that happens during waking hours, whereas the new definition includes nocturnal episodes too. This has caused uproar, as many people claim that there is no medical evidence to suggest that nocturnal episodes and the ability to drive safely should be linked.
Until now, the DVLA defined hypos as episodes that require another person to administer carbohydrate or take some other form of action during the waking hours, in order to assist the person who suffers from diabetes. Now the definition includes nocturnal episodes, which has caused a great deal of anger, as there is no medical reasoning to associate nocturnal episodes to driving. The new rulings will mean that diabetics that have driven for many years without problems will lose their licenses. Obviously, many people rely on driving for their livelihoods, so this new legislation will have a huge affect on the lives of many people.
Major diabetes organisation Diabetes UK opposes the changes strongly and has made an appeal for the decision to be revoked. The Department of Transport are due to introduce the legislation in early October and it is expected that over 1 million drivers could be taken off the roads. People diagnosed with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes will be subject to strict decisions on whether they are deemed safe to be on the road.
There are already several laws surrounding diabetic drivers. At present, anyone that treats diabetes with insulin will not be allowed to drive heavy goods vehicles, a decision that has caused a great deal of controversy. There have been countless campaigns for the Department of Transport to review the legislation, but the latest twist only means that it is getting tougher for diabetic drivers to obtain a license. The law doesn't take into account that the severity of diabetes that people encounter varies hugely from case to case. Some people are at risk of backing out regularly, whilst others simply aren't.
Until now, the law has defined a hypo as an episode where by the sufferer requires assistance from another person in order to bring them round. The current definition refers to an episode that happens during waking hours, whereas the new definition includes nocturnal episodes too. This has caused uproar, as many people claim that there is no medical evidence to suggest that nocturnal episodes and the ability to drive safely should be linked.
Until now, the DVLA defined hypos as episodes that require another person to administer carbohydrate or take some other form of action during the waking hours, in order to assist the person who suffers from diabetes. Now the definition includes nocturnal episodes, which has caused a great deal of anger, as there is no medical reasoning to associate nocturnal episodes to driving. The new rulings will mean that diabetics that have driven for many years without problems will lose their licenses. Obviously, many people rely on driving for their livelihoods, so this new legislation will have a huge affect on the lives of many people.
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