New driving guidelines published to help diabetics

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has published a new set of guidelines which are intended to help drivers that have insulin-treated diabetes to understand changes due to new European regulations.
The DVLA has issued the advice to promote a better awareness of how the rules affect drivers following worries that the licence application form was too confusing. They agreed to a range of changes, including a more helpful definition of what is meant by the term “severe hypoglycaemic event”.
Barbara Young, chief executive of national charity Diabetes UK, which worked with the DVLA on the guidelines, commented “We were concerned about the impact of recent changes to the medical standards for drivers with diabetes. Some people did not understand the implications of some of the questions on the medical questionnaires and were providing wrong answers that meant that their licences could not be granted.
However, she added “We are still worried about the increase in people with diabetes having their driving licences taken away, but this change means that at least people are unlikely to miss out because they did not understand the application form.”
Mike Penning, the minister for road safety, also pointed out “We must make sure that only those who are safe to drive are allowed on our roads, while at the same time avoiding placing unnecessary restrictions on people’s independence and their right to work.”