Diabetes and DUI / DWI

Low-Blood Sugar in Diabetes Patients Can Impair Ability to Drive

When drivers who are afflicted with diabetes have low blood sugar, their capacity to drive safely can be compromised. Despite that roughly one in seven sober drivers on the road suffers from diabetes, many police officers may not think of medical conditions in a driver. Diabetes patients should therefore always carry a medical ID.

One woman in Toronto, for example, was swerving her 18-wheeler as she led police on a 50 km chase. She hit the railings on the side of the road and driving very erratically. Eight cruisers surrounded her vehicle and she finally stopped the vehicle. Police approached her with guns fixed, and the woman replied, "What did I do wrong?" Police reports state that her blood sugar was very low.

Even many emergency personnel are not informed about diabetic symptoms. Another woman was rushed to the hospital with hyperglycemia, but the doctor had suspected her of being under the effects of cocaine, and the ambulance driver thought she was drunk.

If diabetes sufferers possess a high level of ketones-an alcohol-smelling chemical compound-in their blood, misinformed medical personnel may easily make poor judgments.

Having low blood sugar however does not serve as a defensible excuse. Judges have ruled that low blood sugar does not lessen the accountability of diabetic drivers.

Also See:

• New Diabetes Test Potential
• Diabetes and DUI