Diabetic driver Shaun Handley was jailed for four years after his cavalier' approach to his condition led to the death of a young York student. STEPHEN LEWIS, MAXINE GORDON and CHARLOTTE PERCIVAL look at the duty on diabetics to drive safely.

MARTIN Lacy cannot understand how diabetic driver Shaun Handley could have been unaware his blood sugar levels were falling in the moments before he crashed into University of York student Bethany Gale and her boyfriend.

Handley, from Elvington, has now begun a four-year prison sentence after a judge told him: "You have a cavalier attitude to your diabetes.

"It is clear that you could, and you should, have checked your blood sugar levels before you set off."

Cavalier or not, Martin says, there should have been warning signs that alerted Handley to the fact his blood sugar was dropping.

Martin, a 56-year-old York-based journalist, who has lived with diabetes for 15 years, said you can always tell when your blood sugar levels were getting low.

"You get dizzy, because you're tired, and all you want to do is sleep," he said.

Sometimes, Martin said, blood sugar levels could drop quickly but not so quickly you shouldn't be able to stop the car, and at least pull over to the side of the road.

The first time it happened to him, he said, was while on holiday in Spain eight years ago.

He had been tramping across the top of a mountain, which had used up lots of energy.

As he was driving down the mountainside afterwards, his blood sugar levels dropped.

He began to feel very dizzy and sleepy.

"All of a sudden, I couldn't keep my eyes open," he said.

He immediately pulled over, and slept for about half an hour after which he felt fine.

Since then, Martin says, he has safely driven thousands of miles without any problems.

He always takes some sugary sweets or dextrose tablets in the car with him, he says so, if he does get drowsy, he can pull over and give himself a quick sugar boost.

York GP Dr David Fair said as soon as a patient was diagnosed with diabetes, it was their responsibility to inform the DVLA. They would then be sent a letter which detailed all the restrictions upon them.

Diabetics are not allowed to drive buses or lorries, he said, but generally speaking, unless their eyesight is affected, they can continue to drive safely.

There is a requirement that diabetic drivers "must recognise the warning symptoms" of hypoglycaemia dropping blood sugar levels he said.

The minority of diabetic motorists who could not recognise these symptoms, or diabetic motorists who had recurring hypoglycaemic attacks, should stop driving and inform the DVLA.

If their blood sugar levels were not under control and were liable to fluctuate, he said, it was also a good idea to do a finger-prick blood test before setting of in the car, to make sure their blood sugar levels were okay.

Martin Lacy said, because insulin could cause blood sugar levels to drop very quickly, he always took his insulin shots at least an hour-and-a-half before driving, to give his blood sugar levels time to stabilise.

He said that for some younger people (Handley was 19), diabetes was a particularly difficult condition to live with.

"I've heard young lads saying at the diabetic clinic I'm fed up with this! I'm not taking it any more'," he said.

"But this is a serious illness a life-threatening illness. They have really got to take it seriously and listen to what the nurses at the clinic say."

Helen Gibson, diabetes clinical nurse manager at York Hospital, said people with diabetes should always test their blood sugar levels before driving.

"If they didn't, there could be a risk that they could have low blood sugar, and that would affect their judgment, responses and ability to drive," she said.

People who lose warning signs of low blood sugar would be advised not to drive at all until they had spoken to the DVLA and a diabetes specialist nurse or doctor, she added.

"It is quite common for people who get hypoglycaemic to have symptoms, such as feeling shaky, pale and sweaty," she said.

"As well as testing their blood sugar levels, we recommend always having glucose with them.

"If they went hypoglycaemic when driving, the advice is to pull over, stop the car, sit in the passenger seat, check blood sugar, treat the hypo and wait 20 minutes before rechecking blood sugar and carrying on the journey if the blood sugar is okay."

"If they were undertaking a long journey, we recommend breaking it up into two-hour sections and stopping to have something to eat and drink."

People with diabetes are no more likely to have an accident than people without, says Helen.

At the diabetes centre at York Hospital, a team of specialist nurses, doctors, dieticians and podiatrists give advice to diabetics about a whole range of issues.

But she cannot force them to take it.

"People with diabetes find it a difficult condition to manage and live with," she said.

"That's why people like ourselves give lots of support and education.

"I think it's like giving advice about anything.

"Some people will follow the advice and some will find it more difficult.

"For most people a driving licence is a valuable thing.

"They wouldn't want to take any risks that might make them lose that."

  • For more information on the diabetes clinic at York Hospital, phone 01904 726510.

Diabetes: What is it?

There are two main types of diabetes: Type 1, which is often diagnosed in younger people, and Type 2, which usually appears in middle-aged or older people who are overweight.

Both forms of the condition affect the ability to break down sugar. Sugar therefore builds up in the blood and, if the condition continued unmanaged or a long period of time, this could cause problems such as heart attacks and stroke.

Because sugar is not being broken down, it also means diabetics can feel chronically tired, because they are not getting the sugar energy they need.

Insulin helps the body to break down sugar and so keep blood sugar levels in balance.

But if a diabetic misses a meal, or does not eat regularly, insulin can cause the blood sugar levels to drop too far and too fast, leading to hypoglycaemia in which the patient becomes dizzy and drowsy and cannot concentrate.

Type 1 diabetes patients generally need to take regular insulin shots.

Type 2 diabetes patients may at first be able to control their blood sugar levels by being careful about what they eat.

Their condition may progress to the point where they need to take tablets, however or ultimately, even insulin shots.

Case Study 1

DIABETIC driver Shaun Gary Handley, 19, was jailed for four years after killing student Bethany Gale.

Handley ignored repeated warnings that he should check his blood sugar levels before driving, a court heard.

They were too low as he crashed at nearly 70mph into a pedestrian refuge in Hull Road, York, where Miss Gale and her boyfriend, Thomas Asquith, were waiting to cross the eastbound carriageway.

Miss Gale, a University of York student, died from multiple injuries as she was flung 30 metres along the road. Mr Asquith needed major surgery to his legs.

Judge Jim Spencer QC told Handley at Leeds Crown Court: "You have a cavalier attitude to your diabetes."

Handley was jailed last week.

Case Study 2

IN 2004, a diabetic driver died on the A19 after losing consciousness and ploughing into a bus.

Eighteen people were injured in the crash near Deighton in October, 2004.

An inquest into the death of Janita Doris Evans, 55, of Osgodby, revealed she clipped two cars before colliding with the Arriva bus.

Consultant pathologist at York Hospital, Dr Christine Bates, told the inquest Mrs Evans' diabetes must have contributed to the crash.

She died at the scene from severe head and chest injuries.

Case Study 3

LAST year, quick-thinking motorist Jill Hill, pictured with Tim Madgwick, received a commendation for preventing a serious road smash when a driver slipped into a diabetic coma on the A64 in York.

She had spotted a car swerving dangerously at 70mph and acted as a "rolling roadblock" alongside two Nestl lorries. She straddled the white line behind the out-of-control car and put her hazard lights on to warn other drivers.

The lorry drivers helped guide the danger vehicle on to a grass verge. The driver subsequently made a full recovery.

"I've heard young lads saying at the diabetic clinic I'm fed up with this! I'm not taking it anymore'. But this is a serious illness a life-threatening illness. They have got to take it seriously.