Diabetes, driving and the law
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Your simple guide to Driving and Vehicle
Licensing Agency (DVLA) requirements
Diabetes, driving and the law
Many people with diabetes drive safely and happily
every day. In fact, driving may even be their
profession. However, if you have diabetes and wish to
drive, it is important to know the law and how it affects
you. This will help to keep you as safe as possible,
as well as making sure you aren’t prosecuted for
illegal driving. This leaflet has been produced to help
explain your rights and responsibilities as a driver with
diabetes.
Do you need to inform the Driving and Vehicle
Licensing Agency (DVLA)?
If you have a driving licence, it is probably for Group 1
vehicles i.e. the usual licence for cars and some types
of motorcycle that most people hold. If this is the case,
you do not need to automatically inform the DVLA
if your diabetes is treated by diet alone – or by diet,
tablets and/or non-insulin injections (e.g. exenatide).
However, the law requires you to inform the DVLA as
soon as possible if:
• You are treated with insulin, alone or in combination with tablets
• You have a complication of diabetes, such as eye problems or nerve damage to your legs or feet
• You have a problem with your vision or require laser treatment or injections for your eyes
•
You develop any problems with the circulation or sensation in your legs or feet which means you can only drive certain types of vehicles e.g. automatic vehicles or those with a hand operated accelerator or brake
• There are changes in your medical condition or treatment e.g. you start using insulin
• You currently experience severe hypoglycaemia* (low blood sugar) or have had more than one episode of this in the past 12 months
• You or your carer feels that you are at high risk of developing severe hypoglycaemia
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• You have difficulty recognising the warning signs of hypoglycaemia (see section below
entitled ‘Hypoglycaemia’)
• An existing medical condition gets worse or you develop any other condition which may affect
safe driving
*Note – ‘severe hypoglycaemia’ is defined as an
episode requiring the assistance of another person
To notify the DVLA you’ll need to fill in and return
a medical questionnaire form called a DIAB1 (see
‘Further information’ at the end of this leaflet). The
DVLA will then look at your individual circumstances
and let you know if any further action is needed.
Safe driving
You should carry your blood glucose meter and
test strips with you, and check your blood glucose
before driving on any journey, and at frequent
intervals (every 2 hours) on longer journeys. If your
blood glucose is less than 5.0 mmol/L before you
start a journey, make sure that you have a snack
and do not start driving until your blood glucose
has been sustained above 5.0 mmol/L for at least
45 minutes. It can take up to 45 minutes for your
brain to recover after a period of low blood glucose,
during which time your responses will be slower.
The DVLA advises that you carry a supply of
fast-acting carbohydrate within easy reach in your
vehicle (for example glucose tablets).
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Hypoglycaemia
Hypoglycaemia – also known as a ‘hypo’ – is the
medical word for low blood glucose. In other words,
the amount of sugar in the blood is too low for the
body to work as it normally would when enough
sugar is available.
Hypoglycaemia can cause a person to feel tired,
dizzy and confused, have blurred vision and even
pass out completely. The risk of hypoglycaemia
is the main danger to safe driving in people with
diabetes who are treated with insulin, tablets or
both of these.
Many of the accidents caused by hypoglycaemia
happen because people carry on driving even
though they get one or more of the early warning
signs of the condition:
• Feeling confused, weak or tired
• Feeling irritable or anxious
• Feeling hungry
• Sweating
• Having shakiness or trembling
• Having a headache
• Awareness of heart beating faster than usual
• Having tingling lips
If you have any of these early signs of
hypoglycaemia, stop driving as soon as it is safe to
do so and secure your vehicle. Then have a sugary
drink or snack, such as fruit juice or biscuits. After
this, eat something containing starch, such as a
sandwich or piece of fruit – or eat your next meal
if this is due. Only continue driving when you feel
totally fine again, your blood glucose has returned
to normal and has stayed in the normal range for at
least 45 minutes. If in any doubt, do not drive and
seek medical assistance.
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Licence to drive large vehicles such as
buses or lorries
A Group 2 licence is required to drive large lorries
(Category C) and buses (Category D). The medical
standards that must be met for a Group 2 licence
are much higher than those for a Group 1 licence,
because of the additional size and weight of the
vehicles.
If you are treated with non-insulin medication
that may cause hypoglycaemia
If you hold a Group 2 licence and take sulphonylureas
(e.g. glibenclamide or gliclazide) – or tablets from the
prandial glucose regulator group of medicines (e.g.
nateglinide or repaglinide) – you must notify the DVLA,
as these increase the risk of hypoglycaemia. Other
tablets for diabetes tend not to increase the risk of
hypoglycaemia when used alone, but may do so when
used in combination with other medicines. To make
sure you meet legal requirements, ask your doctor or
diabetes nurse to confirm which type of tablets you
take and whether the DVLA should be notified as part
of holding a Group 2 licence. You must also notify the
DVLA if there is any change in your condition.
To notify the DVLA, complete and return a DIABV1
form (see ‘Further information’ at the end of this
leaflet). The DVLA will then – with your consent –seek
further information from your healthcare team. Each
case is considered individually.
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If you are treated with insulin
From November 2011, the DVLA removed the ban on
people driving Group 2 vehicles whilst receiving insulin
therapy. People with diabetes treated with insulin
can now undergo individual medical assessment to
determine their fitness to drive these vehicles.
To apply for a Group 2 licence you’ll need to meet the
following requirements:
• You have had no episode of hypoglycaemia requiring the assistance of another person in the previous 12 months
• You have full hypoglycaemia awareness
•
You can show adequate control of your diabetes by regular blood glucose monitoring – at least twice daily and at times relevant to driving – using a blood glucose meter with a memory function**
• You have at least 3-months of blood glucose readings available for review
• You can demonstrate an understanding of the risks of hypoglycaemia
• You have no prohibiting complications of diabetes e.g. eyesight problems
**IMPORTANT – you will need to take your blood
glucose measurements using a blood glucose meter
that has a memory function. Not all blood glucose
meters have this function, so ask your doctor or
diabetes nurse if you are unsure. The ability to convert
data from the memory into an easy to read visual form,
such as graphs and charts, is also useful for monitoring
and displaying your blood glucose control.
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If you can meet all of the above requirements, there
are then three stages in the application process for a
Group 2 licence:
First stage
• Ask the DVLA for a D2 application form and a DIAB1V medical questionnaire, then fill these in
• Ask your doctor to complete a D4 Medical Examination Report (your doctor may charge a fee for this, which you are responsible for paying)
• Send the completed D2, DIAB1V and D4 forms
to the DVLA
Second stage
•
The DVLA will send a medical questionnaire (DIAB2V or DIAB2VC) to your GP or hospital diabetes consultant, depending on which one you saw most recently
• The DVLA will pay if your GP or consultant charges a fee for completing this questionnaire
Third stage
• The DVLA will arrange for a hospital consultant specialising in diabetes to examine and assess you
• At this examination, the consultant will need to see 3-months of blood glucose readings taken with a meter that has a memory function
• This diabetes consultant will then complete a report and send it to the DVLA
• The DVLA will issue a Group 2 licence if you meet their medical requirements and have passed the relevant driving test
Annual assessment once a Group 2 licence
has been granted
Every 12 months the DVLA will arrange an examination
by an independent hospital consultant who specialises
in diabetes. At this examination the consultant will need
to see blood glucose records for the previous 3-months,
showing testing at least twice daily and at times relevant
to driving, obtained using a blood glucose meter with a
memory function. The licence holder must notify the DVLA
immediately if there is any change in their condition.
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Further information
Further information is available in the following DVLA
publications:
Leaflet INF188/2. Information for drivers with diabetes
treated by non insulin medication, diet, or both. DVLA.
Leaflet INS186. A guide for drivers with insulin treated
diabetes who wish to apply for vocational entitlement
(C1, C1E, D1, D1E, C, CE, D or DE). DVLA.
Visit www.gov.uk/diabetes-driving to download these
leaflets, get more information online and access the
notification forms mentioned above. You can also
contact the DVLA by post, telephone, fax or email:
Drivers Medical Group,
DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1TU
Tel.: 0300 790 6806
Fax: 0856 850 0095
Email:[email protected]
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