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Whats the rules with the DVLA and Diabetes

caz72me

Member
Messages
15
Location
United Kingdom
Type of diabetes
Type 2
At what point of diagnosis do you have to report to them? For instance if I have just been diagnosed as type 2 - am on gliclizide now but hope to be off that within next 3 weeks and possibly onto metformin instead, would I have to tell them anything now or just if I got progressively worse and needed insulin:?:
 
id not even thought of that ! so far im ok going by the link tho, caz watch for the changes going from glic to metformin, i was on metformin first n it really upset my stomach
 
You must also inform your insurance company.

Due to the disability discrimination act they cannot put up your premium unless the medical evidence they receive gives them reasonable grounds to believe you're more of a liability than anyone else (eg if you have a lot of hypos and/or have lost hypo awareness).

But please please tell them. Failure to do so can invalidate your insurance!

:(

LJ
 
Ok, so according to the DVLA site, I am OK at the moment and don't need to inform them, does that mean I don't have to tell the insurance company or do they require more information than the DVLA and require informing no matter what stage you are at?

thanks for your help

Caroline
 
My rule in life,is,has and always will be,tell Big Brother nothing.Once you are on the rader you don't get off it.These days you can't scratch your bum without it being captured on CCTV and being posted on Youtube.
 
steveD, that's a pretty dangerous attitude when it comes to insurance!

in all insurance policies there is a term stating that if anything material happens to change the cirspamstances of the policy, you must inform the insurer.

it may be that if you are on diet and exercise alone nothing will happen, but YOU MUST TELL THEM.

I'm type 1 on insulin and my insurance premium has not changed. Honestly, yours won't either, but you should tell them. DON'T give them an excuse not to pay out in the event you have an accident or your car is stolen!

LJ
 
Caroline,

Glicazide can cause hypos, so you do need to inform DVLA if you are still on that. Its only if you are diet controlled, or on metformin, or byetta, or januvia or one of those that can't trigger a hypo, that you don't need to tell them.

You and Steve should both tell your car insurance company. As LJ says, they won't increase your premium, but if you don't tell them and you need to claim and they find out about the diabetes, then you have given them the perfect opportunity to refuse to pay a penny. It makes no difference to them whether diabetes had any bearing on the claim.

Not only will they not pay but you also won't get back the premiums you will have paid them for providing you with no cover! Believe me, I have worked in the past in the insurance industry and they employ a small army of loss adjusters whose job is to find ways of avoiding having to meet a claim!
 
Hi, I was told by insurance companies that I needed to inform DVLA as I was on medication. They said DVLA aren't really interested unless you go on to insulin but you are obliged to inform them. You must be honest with the insurance companies as these days they are all linked by computer and they all have access to your info so they will catch you out! I contact a few companies every year to see which is the best deal. I still always stick with the same company as nobody has beaten their quote yet! I am not charged any extra for being diabetic.
 
Thanks all, I will phone the insurance company in the next day or so. Think that maybe they should tell you this in the diabetes information leaflets they give you when diagnosed. Its only because I know from a neighbour who was diagnosed and I remember him saying he had to tell the DVLA that made me ask the question, but to be honest I never even thought about the insurance people. So what about life insurance etc, would that be effected too??

Dennis - I hope to be off the gliclizide within the next couple of weeks, there are contridictions on the instructions that say if theres a possibility of getting pregnant not to take and as we have been trying for a baby which the GP is aware of .. I'm surprised they put me on it as it would harm a pregnancy!! I'm tempted to just come off it but also realise I shouldn't do anything without seeing my diabetes nurse which I have an appointment in a fortnight, she did say it was temporary when I went on it and only prescribed it for 28 days and I think she planned to put me on Metformin after. Might just get the other half to drive in the meantime, seems safer until I know what my meds will be.

Caroline
 
Thanks for your concern,but I still won't tell Big Brother anything.I'm T2 taking 1 Met a day,and hopefully going on to diet alone after my next blood test.I drive and old van with 3rd party only insurance.I'm not bothered what happens to me or the van,but they will always pay out to 3rd parties.Once you are in the system there is no way out.
 
I am T2 diet controlled - didn't tell DVLA because of info on web - did call my car insurers, and 2 seperate companies both said they couldn't record the fact that I had T2 as it would be discriminatory. Re life insurance, etc - I haven't told any existing insurers.
 
Sorry folks - it appears I have mis-informed you. Have just re-read the DVLA information for diabetics and it does NOT say that if you are on a drug which can induce a hypo then you must inform them. The only drug mentioned is insulin.

Dave - if you have an accident and the insurers find you are diabetic, they will not pay a penny even under a third party only policy. They regard you as simply uninsured, so there is no policy in force under which they can pay. This could result in a claim being made against you personally by the third party for damages, and a police prosecution for driving whilst uninsured. The choice is yours, but don't say you weren't warned.
 
Hi

I used to work for a large insurer and take it from me that if they can find anyway of not paying out on a claim they will, so I would advise the safest policy is to tell them as if they find out after the event you have had it!!

I informed my car/life insurance etc and it made no difference to my premium, the only difference I found was with my holiday insurance, initially the premiums I was being quoted were really high (for world wide cover) but once I shopped around on the net I got a reasonable deal.
 
Caz

Yes - you must tell ALL your insurers, including holiday insurance and life assurance etc. If you have an annual holiday insurance policy your premium won't be affected for this year.

However, it may well go up in future years. There are, however, insurers who specialise in people with pre-existing conditions. Indeed, I got a brilliant policy this year (annual policy, coveredf or worldwide INCL winter sports) which is cheaper than my old one pre-diagnosis!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell everyone. Better safe than sorry.

LJ
 
Holidays ... what are they lol?? but hopefully I will one day persaude the other half to take me away .... 8)

Thanks for info, may spend some time at weekend digging out paperwork, I know I have mortgage life insurance and my ex-husband has a life insurance policy taken out on me, so if I die he has some money to raise the children, so I suppose I will have to tell him ... :(

Caroline
 
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