Does Diabetes Affect Driving?

Research put forward by Reuters Health in New York confirms what medical fraternity has suspected for long – diabetic drivers can be unsafe, if they are careless with their treatment.

The Study

Recently, a study on how the condition of diabetes and low levels of sugar in the blood affects a person’s driving ability was conducted by the University of Virginia Health Sciences Centre.

Driving behavior of more than 450 people, both men and women who on average had diabetes for 26 years and were either suffering from Diabetes Type I condition or were insulin-dependent was conducted. The average age of the studied group was 40 years.

The study came up with astonishing figures – 50% of the people reported varying degree of difficulty, ranging from loss in concentration to becoming disoriented when the level of sugar in the blood was low. The research also showed that approximately 3% of the people reported an accident due to low levels of sugar in blood.

The study was headed by Dr. Daniel Cox, who compared driving on low sugar levels to driving with a flat tire.  Just like you would pull over immediately to fix a flat tire, a diabetic should also immediately stop driving when he/she feels the sugar levels are low and should resume driving only when the blood sugar levels are reinstated to normal.

The Conclusion

The findings lay stress on the need for diabetics to check their insulin levels before sitting behind the wheels and be careful with their diabetic treatment; otherwise the consequences can be dire for them, as well as for others.

Learn basic diabetes management skills to drive safely

Managing diabetes effectively is the key to safe driving for diabetics. To prevent mishaps from occurring, while driving and at other times, diabetics should incorporate the following:

• Adhere to a balanced diet – one that ensures the intake of healthy food at regular intervals to prevent blood sugar levels from dropping below normal.
• Learn how to identify high blood sugar levels and low blood sugar levels.
• Learn how to take insulin or any other prescribed medications.
• Learn how to identify and treat hypoglycemia (condition of low levels of sugar in the blood) and hyperglycemia (condition of high levels of sugar in the blood)
• Learn how to monitor glucose levels.
• Learn what to do when feeling sick.

Driving don’ts for diabetics

Never, and we repeat NEVER drive when you feel any of the following symptoms:

• Giddiness.
• Pain in the head or neck.
• Difficulty in concentrating.
• Lack of coordination.
• Sleepiness.
• Diplopic (a condition in which an object is seen as two objects)
• Vomiting

Diabetics is a serious health condition, but can be controlled by making positive changes to one’s lifestyle.

If you are interested on knowing how to control diabetes naturally, check out our natural type 2 diabetes guide…

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