ABSTRACT
AIM: Currently there are no regulations regarding diabetes and driving licensing in India. The study was planned to gather information about attitudes to driving among patients with diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Adult patients with diabetes mellitus holding a current valid driving license on treatment with insulin or secretagogue were interviewed using a validated structured questionnaire. RESULTS: 150 patients were interviewed with a mean age of 52 years, males (86%), insulin users (34%) and only secretagogue users (66%). 16 (10.6%) patients had severe hypoglycemia in the past year with 9.3% having hypoglycemic unawareness. Only 32% patients were aware of the relation between hypoglycemia and driving, 88.6% never checked glucose prior to driving and only 23% patients carried carbohydrates for treatment of hypoglycemia during driving. 25 (16.7%) of subjects had hypoglycemia during driving and in 6 (4%) this involved a traffic accident in the past one year. CONCLUSIONS: Around 4% of patients on hypoglycemia causing treatment have a traffic accident/event every year. In the absence of regulations currently, focus should be on patient education. However, on the long-term appropriate regulations will make the roads safer for patients with diabetes.
