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T1 driving in the UK, fingerprick versus Libre

Antje77 said:
Brilliant, will do this!

Not sure yet, I'll take the Hoek van Holland - Harwich ferry and I'll be meeting up with friends but we haven't decided where just yet.
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I'm sure you did, but did you think about a sticker for taping of part of your headlights? (anwb)
Let me know when you leave, I'll wave you off ;);) I live in Delft, cycled to HvH last monday. Looked longfully at the ferry.
 
It may only be necessary to have the common speed limits converted on your note, so 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 mph (and more commonly in the city where I live 20mph) rather than have to do maths while concentrating on staying the correct side of the road ;)
 
Rachox said:
It may only be necessary to have the common speed limits converted on your note, so 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 mph (and more commonly in the city where I live 20mph) rather than have to do maths while concentrating on staying the correct side of the road ;)
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Very useful to know that those are the common speed limits!
For instance, were you to drive in the Netherlands you'd need to know 30, 50, 80, 100, 130 km/h, and 60 if driving in rural area's such as where I live.

Granted, there's also a sign on the road in front of my house saying 20, but it looks like someone has been messing with the official 60 sign there, very odd it happened right in front of my house...
Also, it looks like it's time to renew the paint, the old 6 is shining clearly through after some 6 years. :hilarious:

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Antje77 said:
I know. But can you imagine me constantly multiplying things by 1.6 while trying to conquer the roads around London on the wrong side of the road?
I think I'd better reserve that brain power for safe driving! :D
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Make a chart or draw lines on your speedo coresponding to the speed limits.
 
JohnEGreen said:
or there is this https://www.amazon.co.uk/SpeedRight-Speedo-Windscreen-Sticker-Converter/dp/B008D20LEM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1X68HBLKM5PVQ&keywords=convert+kilometer+to+mph+for+speedometer&qid=1657567784&sprefix=convert+kilometer+to+mph+for+speedometer,aps,69&sr=8-
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I'll simply use pen and paper, and a bit of sellotape. :)
The traffic around you is a good indication as well, and if I'm real smart I'll just find a nice lorry to drive behind in the left lane and I'll never need to worry about the speed limit.
 
And of course there's another reason to bring my own car, my friends need presents!
For instance, @Rachox has been waiting for my Dutch mayo for over two years, due to covid postponing plans.
But who wants to suffer public transport while smuggling 10 pots of mayonnaise to the UK?
 
Don't even think of driving in London these days. So much traffic and so many restrictions and charges. If you do need to go there go in by train leaving car miles outside.
Where else are you planning to visit?
 
MrsA2 said:
Don't even think of driving in London these days.
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I wasn't planning on it!
It didn't look very drivable 25 years ago and I don't expect it will have gotten much better.
MrsA2 said:
Where else are you planning to visit?
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I have no idea yet, my main objective is seeing friends. Who all have to come from different parts of the country and even the other side of the world. You'll all have to behave around that time, I have a feeling moderating activity will be sketchy for a while as many of us will be travelling.

but I plan to go for a week so suggestions are very welcome!

I also have a new question:
I did some googling but I couldn't find a straght answer. How are the laws on just driving to a remote place and putting up a small tent next to your car in the UK?
Strictly forbidden with fines and stuff? Allowed as long as you don't cause any inconvenience? Forbidden but not really enforced if you get caught?
 
Antje77 said:
I did some googling but I couldn't find a straght answer. How are the laws on just driving to a remote place and putting up a small tent next to your car in the UK?
Strictly forbidden with fines and stuff? Allowed as long as you don't cause any inconvenience? Forbidden but not really enforced if you get caught?
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Generally not possible. Except, perhaps some parts of Scotland. It could be seem as rough sleeping / homeless, elsewhere. Not safe.
Hostels would be better option.
https://www.yha.org.uk/
 
Pipp said:
It could be seem as rough sleeping / homeless, elsewhere. Not safe.
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Not safe because the police will make you sleep at their place or for other reasons? Rough sleeping is not an offence in every country, which is why I try to find out.
I prefer camping places over hostels, and once I know the area I'm in, I'll search for camping places, preferably the very small ones.
So if anyone has any recommendations for websites where you can find small camping places, I'd be obliged. :)
 
Towns and cities , definitely not safe, due, sadly, to attitudes towards homeless, but also high crime , drug taking drunken lout behaviour.
Rural areas, you need to seek permission of landowners. They are often difficult to find, and seldom give permission.
 
Pipp said:
Towns and cities , definitely not safe, due, sadly, to attitudes towards homeless, but also high crime , drug taking drunken lout behaviour.
Rural areas, you need to seek permission of landowners. They are often difficult to find, and seldom give permission.
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So no getting put in handcuffs and brought over for a night in a police station?
I'm much more worried about that than about civilians. Wasn't thinking of sleeping on the sidewalk in a city!
 
That's interesting (the camping situation)

My daughter lived happily (by choice, in lieu of covid cancelled world trip) for a year in a van (not a camper van, though she rigged it up with a bed and a solar panel) in Tasmania (the island at the bottom of Australia, for those of you who don't know). She joined a gym to manage the washing situation and just parked on the side of the road. (Campsites with showers were an occasional luxury). Luckily we have some distant relatives she could stay with when Tasmania briefly locked down due to Covid, as am not sure what she would have done otherwise.

But I think Australia is relatively relaxed about such things.

NZ has lots of signs for "freedom camping" and lots of signs saying "no overnight stays".

@Antje77 . Not that I'd recommend you ship your C3 all the way to the Antipodes...:) (Though you'd be very welcome here if you did).
 
Antje77 said:
I know the basic rules:
- Check at least every 2 hours.
- Eat something when between 4 and 5.
- Wait 45 (?) minutes before resuming your trip after a hypo has been treated and you've risen to at least 5.

Is this still fingerprick only or do they accept Libre readings?
And more importantly, if Libre says hypo but fingerprick says no hypo, does the fingerprick count? My Libres tend to read lower than blood and I'd hate to have to treat a non-existent hypo just to drive, I'm fat enough as it is.

Also, tips on how to survive driving on the wrong side of the road are very welcome... :eek:
As are random other tips on my trip. :D

Looks like I can finally make that trip to the UK which was planned for the spring of 2020! :)
So if you see a dirty little green Citroën C3 with yellow plates in september, give me room, I have no idea what I'm doing on the left side of the road!
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Hi @Antje77 ,

It would be prudent to carry your meter. Especially as we know how slow Libres respond on the way back up?
Here is some info.. https://assets.publishing.service.g...e-to-insulin-treated-diabetes-and-driving.pdf

The Kph to MPH thing? I did it the other way round changing the units on a sat nav & using it as a “speedo.”
The satnav feature also reminded me to drive on the right when travelling Europe.
You should also get a guide to the speed limits with notifications on the stretch of road, too..
Along with how to negotiate a UK roundabout…
 
Jaylee said:
It would be prudent to carry your meter. Especially as we know how slow Libres respond on the way back up?
Here is some info.. https://assets.publishing.service.g...e-to-insulin-treated-diabetes-and-driving.pdf
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Thanks a lot for this info, @Jaylee !
I wasn't about to not carry my meter, I use it a lot, driving or not driving, and I'm very happy to know I don't have to wait for another 45 minutes until after my Libre has finally noticed I'm above 5!
What takes a fingerprick 10 minutes at most if treated aggressively will take the Libre half an hour.

This part makes it clear that glucose meter trumps Libre, very happy with that, and it also clearly shows the rules on driving and testing:

Advice on managing hypoglycaemia or developing hypoglycaemia at times relevant to driving
• In each case if your glucose is 5.0mmol/L or less, eat a snack. If it is less than 4.0mmol/L or you feel hypoglycaemic do not drive.
• If hypoglycaemia develops while driving stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible.
• You should switch off the engine, remove the keys from the ignition and move from the driver’s seat.
• You should not start driving again until 45 minutes after finger prick glucose has returned to normal (at least 5.0mmol/L). It takes up to 45 minutes for the brain to recover fully.
• If you use a real time (RT-CGM) or flash glucose monitoring (FGM) system to check your glucose levels and the reading is 4.0mmol/L or below, you must stop driving and confirm your finger prick glucose test reading. • Your finger prick glucose level must be at least 5.0mmol/L before returning to driving.

Less happy with this rather unclear parts:

• You must eat regular meals and snacks and take rest periods on long journeys.
I must eat regular meals and snacks? But exactly what are regular meals and snacks? And what if I don't usually eat regular meals so suddenly starting doing so would make my diabetes more unpredictable?
What an odd rule.

• You should carry personal identification to show that you have diabetes in case of injury in a road traffic accident.
Like what? I'd think my sensor, insulin, meter and stuff are pretty much identification for having diabetes. What more do they want? Do I have to wear these at all times while driving?

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