Safe Speed Forums

Diabetes on tablets and driving
Diabetes on tablets is a condition that you may need to tell the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) about.
Car or motorcycle driving licence holders
If you hold a car or motorcycle driving licence - you will not need to tell DVLA about your medical condition.

Some people with diabetes develop associated problems that may affect their driving.

What you need to tell us about

By law you must tell us if any of the following apply:
You need treatment with insulin.
You need laser treatment to both eyes or in the remaining eye if you have sight in one eye only.
You have problems with vision in both eyes, or in the remaining eye if you have sight in one eye only. By law, you must be able to read, with glasses or contact lenses if necessary, a car number plate in good light at 20.5 metres / 67 feet or 20 metres / 65 feet where narrower characters (50mm wide) are displayed.
You develop any problems with the circulation, or sensation in your legs or feet which makes it necessary for you to drive certain types of vehicles only, for example automatic vehicles, or vehicles with a hand operated accelerator or brake. This must be shown on your driving licence.

You suffer more than one episode of disabling hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) within 12months, or if you or your carer feels you are at high risk of developing disabling hypoglycaemia.
You develop impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia. (Difficulty in recognising the warning symptoms of low blood sugar.)
You suffer disabling hypoglycaemia while driving.
An existing medical condition gets worse or you develop any other condition that may affect you driving safely.

Advice about Hypoglycaemia
The risk of hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) is the main hazard to safe driving and can occur with diabetes treated with insulin or tablets or both. This may endanger your own life as well as that of other road users. Many of the accidents caused by hypoglycaemia are because drivers continue to drive even though they are

Information for drivers of cars or motorcycles with diabetes treated by tablets, diet, or both.

Please keep this leaflet safe so you can refer to it in the future experiencing warning signs of hypoglycaemia. If
you experience warning signs of hypoglycaemia while driving you must always stop as soon as possible – do not ignore the warning signs.
In the interests of road safety, you must be sure that you can safely control a vehicle at all times.

How to tell us
If your doctor, specialist or optician tells you to report your condition to us, you need to fill in a Medical Questionnaire about diabetes (DIAB1).

You can download this from www.direct.gov.uk/driverhealth
Phone us on 0300 790 6806. - Write to: Drivers Medical Group, DVLA, Swansea SA99 1TU.
email to eftd@dvla.gsi.gov.uk

By law you must tell us if any of the following apply:
You need treatment with insulin.