Some motorists could be at risk of fines of up to £1,000 if they don’t get in contact with the DVLA as soon as possible. A wide range of health conditions could affect your driving and could even result in serious accidents. Because of this, you must tell the DVLA about any medical condition that could affect your driving.
Failing to do so could result in a fine of up to £1,000 if you fail to tell the DVLA of this, furthermore, you could land yourself in court and be prosecuted if you’re involved in an accident. Because such a wide range of conditions are covered under this rule, you may be unaware that your condition could affect your driving.
Diabetics and driving
For example, diabetics need to tell the DVLA of their health condition if they hold a driver’s licence. According to official guidance, diabetics need to contact the DVLA if:
- Your insulin treatment is expected to last over three months
- You get low blood sugar (disabling hypoglycaemia) or a professional has said you’re at risk of developing it
- You had diabetes associated with pregnancy (gestational diabetes) and your insulin treatment last more than three months after the birth took place
Drivers who live with diabetes are also advised to always carry their glucose meter and blood glucose with them. This is expected even if you regularly use a real time glucose monitoring system or flash flucose monitoring system.
It’s also advised to check your glucose less than two hours before the start of your journey and every two hours after you’ve started driving for your journey. However, you may need to test more frequently if, for any reason, you are at greater risk of hypoglycaemia – such as after strenuous physical activity.
How to inform the DVLA of your condition
You can either report your condiion online through GOV.UK or fill in a DIAB1 form which you can send to the address reflected on the form itself. Further guidance for driving with diabetes can be found here.