A man with type 1 diabetes has been fined for crashing his car due to a “lack of careful management” of his condition.
Balazs Onhausz, 33, of New Street in Scalloway, Shetland Islands appeared at Lerwick Sheriff Court where he admitted careless driving.
The accident happened in April when he lost control of his vehicle and struck a crash barrier on the A970 at Gulberwick.
Tommy Alla, part of the defense team, said Mr Onhausz’s condition might have had something to do with the accident.
He said: “It’s something he, most of the time, manages to keep on top of, but he may have suffered some sort of episode. He accepts that was due to a lack of careful management of his condition.”
Mr Onhausz has since sought medical advice and notified the DVLA about the incident. The organisation has declared it will not take his licence away.
Mr Allan added: “It’s something he’s going to take great care to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Off his own bat he’s expressed to me how thankful he was that nobody was hurt.”
On top of the fine, Sheriff Philip Mann also gave Mr Onhausz five points.
The DVLA’s guidelines about driving and diabetes say that those who rely on insulin should check their blood sugar levels before driving and every couple of hours during a long journey.
If you are susceptible to hypoglycemia and your blood glucose levels are 5mmol/l or less, you should consume some carbohydrate before getting behind the wheel. If your blood sugar is less than 4mmol/l, you should not drive until your levels have stabilised.
You should inform the DVLA if you have problems with hypo unawareness as this will affect your ability to drive safely.
The Hypo Training Program has more information on diabetes and driving which can help you learn about the causes and prevention of hypos, as well as how to increase your hypo awareness.
