DVLA driving - redrafted??

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Wow Katie that is progress 🙂 Thank you for posting the info.
 
Well spotted katie. Good news indeed. 🙂

As long as they don't clarify to mean anything below 3.5 ! 🙄 (I'm sure they won't ! 🙂)

Rob
 
That's brilliant - I'm pleased!

I amongst others was asked to comment on the 'existing' new form DIAB1 - the deadline was 15 Dec for an 'imminent' meeting with DVLA.

Having given my response - that the form was a bit confusing, you have to sign it twice - once* in the middle! - and could easily miss signing it at the end if you don't need to respond to the 'physically disabled' questions tacked on after the first signature - I also commented that I was disappointed there was no reference to when the severe hypos were since night-time hypos, shouldn't matter if that is the only time you have severe ones, since you can't possibly drive when you are asleep and therefore can never pose any danger to anyone on the roads at that time. I also said that as they can't AFFECT your driving - did DVLA even have the right to enquire about them in the first place?

Then added that I had thought DUK were supposed to be working with DVLA to try and sort this out, but since there had been no comment whatever since that original news, could only assume to date that they hadn't achieved anything, or was that what this exercise was actually about?

* this is to say that you will use a meter with a memory and that you will always test before driving - I said that ought to be split off onto a completely separate form which also contained the DVLA rules for testing, levels required etc, and you sign it to say specifically a) that you've both read the rules and fully understand them and b) that you will indeed always do it.

Although 'ignorance of the Law' is no defence (in a Court of Law) anyway, this way, no-one in future could claim ignorance as an excuse and expect anyone to listen to them whingeing.
 
PS LOL - I await sight of the new new form DIAB1 with interest !!
 
haha! could be interesting.

I won't be holding my breath as the form DVLA sent me in October said my bloods had to be over 5.0mmols....yet these were increased to 5.5mmols some time ago. Even the DVLA don't tell you the correct DVLA guidelines!! So you could do what you thought was right, based on what they told you, and you'd still be wrong! 😱

Sometimes you just can't win!!
 
Then we are stuffed anyway if they don't know themselves what the rules are LOL
 
Nicely put TW.🙂

Does this mean we'll get a new form to sign as soon as they get it right, or just when we need to renew ? In which case, when and how do we find out what the new changes are going to be, assuming they actually write them down rather than just hold them inside their own imaginations.🙄

Rob
 
Well - they are gonna completely redraft the forms and the guidance and have agreed to come up with a timetable for doing it by the end of January.

If there's nowt on DUK or DVLA website by the end of January - this particular Supporting Member will be asking for an update until she gets one! LOL
 
Hopefully they will treat nocturnaL hypos differently to waking hypos.
The other concern I have- at least on the diabetes uk website- is that if you have more than one severe hypo in the 12 month period you have to wait until a year after the penultimate hypo- I completely agree that severe hypos and total loss of awareness are dangerous and a period of abstinence from driving is sensible but in many ( most) cases severe episodes are associated with loss of awareness which could be regained within weeks - which begs the question is there really any basis to enforce no driving for 12 months. The other concern is what if a normally controlled patient with reasonable hypo awareness is hospitalised and unable to take care of their own diabetes either due to severe illness, general anaesthetic etc or hospital policy and they suffer a severe hypo as a consequence of this- and are then punished by loss of independence, livelihood etc due to inadequate staffing or incompetence of said staff.
 
All good points Abi. We'll have to wait and see what they come up with.

Someone could easily have a severe hypo doing an activity that they wouldn't normally do. Hypos are part of the learning curve for us and we don't always get it right.

But driving is a more controlled, predictable beast that carries its own existing safeguards in the testing requirements, etc.

Severe hypos doth not an unstable diabetic make ! 🙄

Rob
 
I wouldn't declare the 'whilst I was in hospital' one. If you aren't actually controlling your own D, how can they penalise you for something you have't done?

I had a thought the other day too when a preg member had a severe hypo in the supermarket. Presumably it was because of hormonal shenanigens due solely to her preg. Assuming it was - once she isn't preg any more, in MY mind it completely ceases to have any bearing on her driving; either incident is sealed up in a lead-lined box, chained, padlocked and sent to Davy Jones' Locker. or Room 101.
 
You'd think so- but I sometimes wonder if these government organisations have to be seen to be doing something- I think it's a reaction to recent cases of hypo diabetics causing death and injury while behind the wheel- who almost certainly did not test before driving or ignored hypo symptoms. In my opinion there should probably be more people banned from driving either because intensive re education is needed plus assurance that the knowledge has sunk in, or because there are problematic hypos- but in most cases the ban should be for weeks or months rather than a year
 
Well it's hardly their fault if their PCT doesn't offer carb-counting courses or there is a waiting list of years - eg Cornwall - unless someone actually explains that they need it and they can get some of it on-line. Who would know that if it wasn't for forums etc?

It should be made compulsory and PCTs should NOT be allowed to 'not do it'. Grrrrrrr.
 
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