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Limit of hypos for the provisional driving licence applications?

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mohammed033

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Hello. I need some help. I want to know if there is a certain limit for the amount of hypos for your driving licence application. My medical team want me to upload my last 3 months of libre sensor data on the libre view, but the problem is that I have had over 70 hypos during this time (luckily I didnt need any assistance for any of these events). Will this affect the consideration of my provisional driving licence or not?
 
I would never get a licence if they looked at my libre. I am always hypo overnight and in the morning. A fingerprick 99 per cent tells me I'm not.
 
mohammed033 said:
luckily I didnt need any assistance for any of these events
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That is the important bit - it is inevitable that the vast majority of T1's will have hypos, but as long as we can recognise them and treat them without help its fine.
 
With group 1 drivers night time hypos during sleep are no longer considered relevant as far as fitness to drive is concerned unless there is concern over loss of hypo awareness, So if your hypos are during sleep then they don't count anymore as severe hypoglycemia.

Severe hypoglycaemia
The law defines ‘severe’ as an episode of hypoglycaemia requiring the assistance of another person.

Group 1 drivers - episodes of hypoglycaemia occurring during established sleep are no longer considered relevant for licensing purposes, unless there are concerns regarding their hypoglycaemia awareness.

Group 2 drivers - must report all episodes of severe hypoglycaemia requiring the assistance of another person, including sleep episodes.

Interstitial glucose monitoring systems
These devices are more widely known as flash glucose monitoring systems (FGM) and real-time continuous glucose monitoring systems (RT-CGM).

Group 1
These systems may be used for monitoring glucose at times relevant to driving Group 1 vehicles. Users of these systems must carry finger prick capillary glucose testing equipment for driving purposes as there are times when a confirmatory finger prick blood glucose level is required.

If using an interstitial fluid continuous glucose monitoring system (FGM or RT-CGM), the blood glucose level must be confirmed with a finger prick blood glucose reading in the following circumstances:

  • when the glucose level is 4.0 mmol/L or below
  • when symptoms of hypoglycaemia are being experienced
  • when the glucose monitoring system gives a reading that is not consistent with the symptoms being experienced (eg symptoms of hypoglycaemia and the system reading does not indicate this) - see the INF294 leaflet in Appendix D for further details.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/diabetes-mellitus-assessing-fitness-to-drive#insulin-treated-diabetes
 
What I fear is that the medical team declare me as “unfit to drive” for all these hypos I had. I am reluctant to upload my libre data for this reason. The medical team said without my libre data my licence application cannot be considered. So what is the best course of action to take?
 
The problem is That I have had too many hypos way too often. They would declare me as “high risk” for driving is what I fear. What do you guys think?
 
mohammed033 said:
What I fear is that the medical team declare me as “unfit to drive” for all these hypos I had. I am reluctant to upload my libre data for this reason. The medical team said without my libre data my licence application cannot be considered. So what is the best course of action to take?
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If your medical team are telling you to do that to get your license then thats what you will have to do.
Do you do regular finger prick tests as well? Maybe upload that as well? Just a thought
 
porl69 said:
If your medical team are telling you to do that to get your license then thats what you will have to do.
Do you do regular finger prick tests as well? Maybe upload that as well? Just a thought
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I dont really use the finger pricking devices anymore ever since I got the libre
 
mohammed033 said:
I dont really use the finger pricking devices anymore ever since I got the libre
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For driving purposes you will be required to if the libre shows less than 5 (I think its 5), as below 5 it is incredibly inaccurate, and to prove you're back in range.
Also note the libre can be inaccurate so you do need to finger prick to check it's accurate enough.
 
mohammed033 said:
I dont really use the finger pricking devices anymore ever since I got the libre
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The Libre is notoriously inaccurate below 4 and above 10. Your lows during the night could possibly be compression lows but you have no way to prove that to your team as you are not finger pricking.
Good luck with your license
 
You say you have not had to have help during your hypos if this is in deed the case and you have good hypo awareness those lows will not be considered as severe hypos and should not prevent you obtaining a provisional licence you have to trust that this will be so and noted by your medical team, your only alternative is to give up on trying to get a licence which would be the same result as if being refused one but there is a good chance that your application will be accepted, alternatively if you do not comply with the request for the data then there is no chance of getting one so my advise after all this waffle is go for it.

Edit to add it's not the number of hypos but the severity that is the stumbling block 50 mild non severe hypos does not really equate to one or more severe episodes.
 
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