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What Is Over 5

G

greybags

Well-Known Member
Messages
52
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Just a simple question, but possibly not a simple answer..

When I drive the guides everywhere tell me "Keep your blood glucose above 5 mmol/l when driving", which I thought was quite straightforward, but how is above 5 interpreted..
A general conversation over a glass of something with a police officer friend of mine, he has the same guideline if he needs to check somebody, but here is the question.. what is above 5????

I assume that a blood test result of say 5.7 is above 5 and therefore I'm good to go, but the police force disagree, 5.7 is not above 5, only a reading starting with a 6 is above 5.
Had a similar conversation with a senior nurse friend as well, but this time about levels. I look for a reading between 4 and 7, so to me a reading of 7.7 would be above range, but not according to the NHS... a reading between 7.0 and 7.9 is still ok and within the range of 4 to 7.

So who is right, .. Do we count the decimal place, or ignore it and just work to the first digit????
 
Surely it's a reading of 5.0 or above? Given that hypos are below 4, 3.9 and under, I can't see why anyone would require a reading of 6 to drive.
I'm in the count the decimal place camp.

And if you don't count the decimal place camp, you round up or down, ie 5.2 is 5, 5.7 is 6. 5.5 is a grey area....
 
Do you take into account the error rate of your meter? Mine has an error tolerance of plus or minus 15 percent.
 
greybags said:
I look for a reading between 4 and 7
Click to expand...
There will be people on here who say don't drive until your blood reading is above 5.0.
I disagree because the leaflet DIABINF A Guide To Insulin Treated Diabetes and Driving disagrees.
It says NOT to drive "if your blood glucose ... is less than 4 mmol/l or you feel hypoglycaemic".
If below 5 mmol/l it advises ONLY "take a snack".

So I'd hope that if you felt good to drive at say 4.3 you'd also take a snack to be pushing up your blood glucose.
Geoff
 
I thought the advice/rule/whatever it is, is that you can't drive if your blood sugar is below 5 mmol/L. It's not on, or below, it's below. Therefore 5 or above must be ok.

The rule includes 5 as being within the safe range, not in the unsafe range, as far as I understand it.
 
I have never previously heard that 6mmol is some kind of official limit but I know it is a personal preference for some forum members.



I think the extract above makes the situation quite clear but note in the title 'advised'. It is your own responsibility to ensure fitness to drive is maintained.
 
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Where's that from? I read something that said below 5. This is an absurd situation, but in the "computer says no" climate that currently exists, I can well believe, that without absolute clarity, some jobsworth could start ignoring the decimal point, and insist that above 5 is 6.
 
Disclaimer: I don't drive.

If there is a lower limit to what your level must be, surely there should be an upper limit as well, since high blood sugar will have a huge impact on your driving ability as well? Blurry vision, lethargy etc, that is.
 
Well I don't know what Police Officer you've been talking to but I can assure you it means 5.0 or above NOT 6. As we all know glucose levels are not measured in whole numbers but tenths of a number. The DVLA set their guidelines for things like this in conjunction with the Law, these numbers are not just plucked out of the air, hope this reassures you. I should know, I drive police cars but only when I am 5 or over and I have it all down in black and white on an HR report! If the Police meant it to be interpreted as whole numbers, the legislation would say 6, and don't forget the other half of that legislation says to eat if you are between 4 and 5 thus clearly recognising the digits inbetween.
 
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Hi greybags - Do you take medication for your diabetes? My understanding i those rules are for those taking potentially hypo inducing medications.
 

5.5 In maths you always round up so not grey at all. But let’s face it unless you can see trends on a CGM you could be 5.5 and going down. The whole thing is fraught. You could be a steady 4.9 for hours but at 7 and plunging like a display airplane!
 
Is it that hard to specify a range? Seriously ....
 


Yep, I agree. A one off reading just before driving and then you don't actually have to do another one for 2 hours! I guess that's where the bit about stopping and testing if you feel 'low' comes in but we all know how rapidly that can happen, many people's can plummet whilst they're finding somewhere to stop! I don't know the answer other than everyone on insulin who drives being given a cgm that shouts at them when it starts to drop.
 
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