Rules for driving with diabetes examined

For some diabetics, driving restrictions do apply, but recent news has reported that the Department of Transport is going to review the situation. Forecasts are that restrictions will be eased for people who have type 2 diabetes, following research by government-appointed scientists. These scientists found that diabetics actually pose less of a danger on the road than previously suspected.
Those diabetics who must inject insulin to manage their condition are currently banned from holding group 2 licenses that include buses and lorries. A fall in blood sugar could affect eyesight and reaction times, leading to a potentially disastrous situation.
However, recent research has found that those patients who inject insulin to control blood glucose levels were not actually more likely to suffer problems than type 2 patients who used tablets to control their diabetes. Once injections were administered over a long period of time, however, problems became more frequent.
The government will review the research before making any changes in the law, and one expert was reported as saying “we plan to get the research peer-reviewed to check the validity of the findings as there are potentially serious implications for driving licence entitlement.” The research will be considered by the Secretary of State’s Medical Advisory Panel on Diabetes and Driving.