Driving and Diabetes

Researchers from the University of Virginia, with funding from the National Institutes of Health, are conducting a study on driving safety with regard to people with type 1 diabetes, and they need your help.

0 comments - Sep 11, 2007 -

As blanket bans on commercial driving licenses for people with diabetes come under increasing fire, a new study leaves the debate on safety at a crossroads.

1 comment - Sep 1, 2000 - Not Yet Rated

In 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Bell v. Burson that driving is an "important interest" that may not be taken away from a licensed driver without a government agency's providing procedural due process.

1 comment - Oct 1, 1999 -

A study published in the August 25 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports that people with type 1 diabetes "may not judge correctly when their blood sugar levels are too low and may consider driving with a low BG." In the study, "low" was defined as less than 70 mg/dl.

6 comments - Oct 1, 1999 - Not Yet Rated

Arizona and North Carolina recently agreed not to fire or refuse to hire school bus drivers simply because they have diabetes. Both states had laws that prohibited people with diabetes who use insulin from operating a school bus, and had enforced these laws without regard to an individual's safety record.

0 comments - Sep 1, 1998 -

During a recent trip to visit my sister and brother-in-law I hit a piece of metal on the interstate and my front left tire was ruined. Changing the tire wasn't a difficult process, but it used energy that was not accounted for in my calculations of exercise, insulin and food intake.

0 comments - Apr 1, 1997 - Not Yet Rated

Dr. Arthur Neumann, a retired physician, has lived with diabetes since 1951. He awoke at 4:00 a.m. one morning suffering from a severe hypoglycemic attack and within minutes blacked out. Luckily, his companion was there to inject him with a shot of glucagon-a solution which raises blood sugar by forcing the liver to release stored glucose. Naturally, Neumann reported the incident to his doctor.

0 comments - Jun 1, 1996 -

Current Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) regulations prohibit all individuals with insulin dependent diabetes from obtaining a commercial drivers license. In a recent reversal of this policy, the FHWA has decided to begin a trial period for waiving the restriction based on a case-by-case medical evaluation process using criteria suggested by the American Diabetes Association. Drivers deemed eligible will be monitored for a three year period.

1 comment - Feb 1, 1994 - Not Yet Rated

In contrast to European governments, which have progressively restricted driving permits for individuals with insulin-dependent diabetes, the United States has been far more liberal in its restrictions. In an attempt to determine the decline in driving capability by insulin dependent adults experiencing hypoglycemia, the University of Virginia's General Clinical Research Center conducted a study of twenty five adults, measuring both their driving performance as well as their awareness of their driving performance during and after artificially-induced episodes of hypoglycemia. The study participants were infused with intravenous regular insulin, administered to produce mild and moderate hypoglycemic reactions, while they drove high-tech driving simulators. Immediately before and after each test, the participants were asked: "Would you choose to drive right now? Yes/No." The participants were kept shielded from their blood glucose levels throughout the tests.

0 comments - Jun 1, 1993 - Not Yet Rated