Type 1.5 C1 reinstatement

[Southcoast]

Hi I want to get my C1 status back, I have good control with sub 50 hba. I don't do more than a couple of tests a day as I cycle to work and everything is currently stable. My reason for wanting the category back is to drive a 3900kg motor home. I'll probably do no more than a couple of thousand miles a year. Is this going to be impossible? How do the dvla accept blood readings, I have two monitors one by the bed the other at my side. Am I attempting the impossible. Any thoughts and advice appreciated.

 

[Copepod]

Welcome to the forum, Southcoast. There are members here who have personal experience of driving motor homes etc, so I hope someone will see your post soon.

 

[grovesy]

Welcome.

 

[trophywench]

Ours is under 3500gs so we both only need a car licence to drive it as would anyone, so I was naturally loath, but not really grumpy - to see my C1 go.

There's a form you have to fill in, I think - but being on insulin (which I guess you must be since you have lost it) I believe you'll only get a year's licence at a time rather than 3.

Ring DUK and ask them?

 

[Southcoast]

Thanks Jenny, I have been told I need To fill in a D2 & D4. Seems a bit crazy that I'm treated the same as a lorry driver. Not sure how you submit finger prick data as I use two monitors. It would be nice if the powers that be acknowledged that motor homes are statistically one of the safest vehicles on the road and up the limit to 4000kg for leisure use. After all your under no pressure to meet deadlines as white van man would. Are there any stats on diabetic driving accidents where a hypo was the cause? Now we have a PM that is diabetic perhaps we all need to lobby? Thanks to earlier replies too. I'm currently injecting 24 units of lantus and occasional novo rapid if i fancy a treat or am eating some basmati rice Not sure where this fits in with others experiences.

 

[Landymech]

Hello, I used to have C1 licence and drove vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes quite often for my job, then the changes came in and I havent been able to drive them since. i had to fill in the medical forms then supply 3 months of blood glucose monitoring 3 times a day for the independant diabetes consultant to review. As I had a few readings below 4 after a bout of gastroentiritus and waking up after a Sunday afternoon nap with my pregnant girl friend, he picked up on the low readings and asked me if I needed any help during the hypos i answered no, he wrote all the low readings and dates, asked me do i recognise an oncoming hypo which i answered yes, then he asked me the symptoms and wrote this down on the dvla form. 2 months later I had a letter from the dvla revoking my C1 licence AND my car licence, and I have been battling with the dvla since and to date still cant drive. This has been dragging on for 4 months. Be prepared and think in advance is my advice...

 

[Southcoast]

Landymech, you're confirming one of my fears that some civil servant who's life is black and white, could not read and application where hopefully there is a free text box to explain that I have a deskjob, cycle to and from work and need the C1 to drive a leisure vehicle for personal use only. It appears this is reviewed annually so if I changed job to drive HGVs it would be picked up in months. What form did the 3 months of meter readings take, was it a diary?

 

[FergusC]

What form did the 3 months of meter readings take, was it a diary?

For me it was inspection of my meter by doctor!

 

[Southcoast]

Fergus, was this your own Doctor? I'm lucky enough to have a first class GP who is the practice Diabetic specialist.

 

[FergusC]

No, a specialist who deals with DVLA Medicals.

 

[Landymech]

Yes as Fergus says it is stored on my BGM, if theres any under 4 it opens a can of civil service worms...

 

[Hamness]

You have to provide 3 months of readings stored on a meter or meters showing a minimum of 2 tests a day. After filling out several sheets of answers (don't ever mention hypos even if you get occasional nightime ones as you will fail at the first hurdle) if ok Dvla will then instigate the following :- First meeting/review is with your doctor who goes through your readings and then a questionnaire supplied by Dvla. If that all goes well you get another letter from Dvla who then send you to Consultant specialising in diabetes to go through the whole procedure again ! After all that if successful you get a 12 month licence. I have just given up my C1 entitlement this month and did the whole application for car licence online. Within a week I have a new licence for 3 years. Personally I think the whole C1 application is bureaucracy gone mad and they only brought this in reluctantly after they had put a blanket ban on Type 1 drivers having a licence for vehicles 3.5 to 7.5t and were then ordered to put the provision back in. Other European countries took completely different attitudes to the ruling. Holland, for example, left the grandfathers rights in place and only applied the ruling to new drivers. As usual though, anything that comes out of Brussels and the U.K. reacts to the n'th degree.

 

[Southcoast]

Thanks Hamness, I only want it for leisure purposes so as you say very bureaucratic. May be we should start a petiton or write to Mrs May who should sympathise being type1.

 

[grovesy]

Thanks Hamness, I only want it for leisure purposes so as you say very bureaucratic. May be we should start a petiton or write to Mrs May who should sympathise being type1.

I would not bet on her being sympathetic.

 

[trophywench]

No - I very much doubt we can rely on her actual assistance - all we can say is, we can hope she may be less likely to block us. LOL

 

[grovesy]

No - I very much doubt we can rely on her actual assistance - all we can say is, we can hope she may be less likely to block us. LOL

I doubt that too!
I have this veiw as I have watched her being tackled on many health service issues and she just sticks to the party line. The person who speaks up for Diabetics and issues relating to Diabetes issues and Diabetic care is the labour MP Kieth Vaz. He brings something up at least every couple of weeks.

 

[trophywench]

Yeah but unfortunately Mr V doesn't have universal support generally and has sometimes even been alleged of dodgy dealings either in his constituency or elsewhere. I personally don't have any axes to grind and know nothing about it really - only 'hearsay' - and whilst I appreciate his support on diabetes matters - how I wish it was embodied in someone , err, 'whiter than white' in the metaphoric sense!

(not literally whatsoever - because quite possibly with him likely being of S Asian heritage - he has at least a bit of a vested interest, which can only be a really GOOD thing for all of us)

 

[grovesy]

Yeah but unfortunately Mr V doesn't have universal support generally and has sometimes even been alleged of dodgy dealings either in his constituency or elsewhere. I personally don't have any axes to grind and know nothing about it really - only 'hearsay' - and whilst I appreciate his support on diabetes matters - how I wish it was embodied in someone , err, 'whiter than white' in the metaphoric sense!

(not literally whatsoever - because quite possibly with him likely being of S Asian heritage - he has at least a bit of a vested interest, which can only be a really GOOD thing for all of us)

Yes I had of that I am going by what I have observed of him in Parliament watching live debates. He is actual a Type 2 Diabetic himself.He was born in Yemen and the troubles there are another of things he regularly brings up.