DVLA Question

Unfortunately these are some of the downsides of going on insulin, a 3 year licence and restricting the class of vehicle you're permitted to drive. Your doctor should have told you this at the time? I think DVLA put the "right to appeal" sentence in the letter to satisfy their legal department only. It doesn't matter when you last had a hypo now, it's just that you're regularly taking a medication that is much more likely to bring on a hypo in some circumstances. Wish I could give you better news.

Local councils issue licences for taxis and minicabs. Their policies may vary throughout the UK and it is best to check with individual councils for further information.
If your diabetes is treated with diet alone or diet and tablets, you may hold a licence to drive either a large good vehicle (LGV) or a passenger-carrying vehicle (PCV).
If your diabetes is treated with insulin, you will be unable to hold either a LGV or a PCV licence.
If your diabetes is treated with insulin, you will automatically lose the entitlement to drive vehicles within the C1& D1 class. This includes vehicles between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes (category C1) and minibuses (category D1) as these vehicles are now treated as Group II vehicles. A Group II licence is required, as is the case with LGV`s and PCVs a licence will not be granted to you. However, you may apply to be assessed individually for fitness to drive C1 vehicles. If you are new to insulin you will not be able to make this application until your diabetes has been stabilised for one month.

The Government has committed to undertaking a research programme, which will examine the risks of driving and diabetes. This will take 2-3 years to complete and may result in changes to the current legislation.

sarbow said:

The Government has committed to undertaking a research programme, which will examine the risks of driving and diabetes. This will take 2-3 years to complete and may result in changes to the current legislation.

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I would not be at all surprised if the legislation resulting was actually more strict than it currently is. After I wrote off my car in 2007 I started poking around Google and the like. I found alarming numbers of RTAs where the diabetic driver became hypoglycaemic behind the wheel, exactly as I had done. It is pure chance that noone else was involved in my incident; in many cases that I found during my search, third parties have been involved, sustaining serious injury or worse.

You have nothing to lose by appealing but, I'll warn you that the process takes months, endless form filling, probably a medical with a government appointed doctor and after all that, you'll be unlikey to succeed. The DVLA is extremely strict about licencing once they've been informed of a potential hazard due to health issues.

On the other hand, had you not informed them, (or your insurance company), of your condition and then caused a serious accident as a result of a hypo, you'd be uninsured and in a whole heap of trouble.

Have a go at appealing if you like but, I'm afraid you're likely to have to put up with the licence you've been granted.

Sorry I don't have any better news to offer.

If it's essential that you have a license to drive a minibus, Could you not discuss a different method of control with your doctor
On the other hand, think how you'd feel if you had a hypo and caused injury to someone's child. You'd have to live with that for the rest of your life.
Even in a car, there's risk of hypo and consequent accident, if you use insulin.

Hi,
Am I right in thinking that if you are T1 you cannot have a "vocational" licence any longer?
I had my licence revoked about 8 years ago because of failing eyesight, but previous to that I started taking PCV lessons. When I applied for the catagory to be put on my licence the doctor told me that it was not worth persuing as the DVLA were about to stop T1's from holding LGV/PCV entitlements.

As a matter of interest, it isn't only the rapid changes in blood sugar levels that make driving with diabetes more risky but also the fact that your eyesight can change, both short term (before hypos or when BS is too high) and longer term. And, in my experience, you simply can't tell what you can't see until you have a sight test, or hit something.