§ Mr. SandersTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what data his Department has collated on motor vehicle accident rates involving insulin-dependent diabetics; [17611]
(2) what studies his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated of the driving behaviour of insulin-dependent diabetics. [17612]
§ Ms Glenda Jackson[holding answer 26 November 1997]: Collection of information at the time of accidents is the responsibility of the Police. The information which 694W they obtain, and which therefore is available to the Department, does not cover medical cause because it is not possible routinely to establish any medical condition and its link to the accident. The Department has not felt it necessary to commission or to evaluate studies of the driving behaviour of insulin-dependent diabetics. There have been a number of studies by experts in the field on the consequences of insulin treatment. These have shown that insulin treatment leads to a significant risk of hypoglycaemia, which can lead to loss of consciousness, as well as other effects such as diminished judgment. It is well established that hypoglycaemia can occur without warning. The provisions on insulin-dependent diabetic drivers included in the Second EC Driver Licensing Directive, adopted by the Council of Ministers in 1991 (and coming into force in the United Kingdom in this respect on 1 January 1998), are based on these considerations. The view that the driving of the heavier vehicles by such drivers presents an unacceptable risk to other road users has been endorsed by the Secretary of State's Honorary Advisory Panel on Diabetes and Driving.