Exploring Knowledge and Safety Practices for Driving in Youth with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D)

Abstract Objectives To survey how well adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) of legal driving age understand the risks associated with driving with diabetes and report adherence to recommendations. Methods This study was a cross-sectional survey of 191 adolescents with T1D ages 14 to 18 years. Results The average (standard deviation, SD) hemoglobin A1C of respondents with a learner’s or a driver’s license was 9.0% (1.9) and 8.9% (1.9) respectively (p=0.91). The proportions of adolescents with a learner’s or a driver’s license who almost always or always check their blood glucose prior to driving was 69% and 41% respectively (p = 0.01). Eighteen percent of adolescents with a learner’s license and 41% with a driver’s license have experienced hypoglycemia while driving. The average number of weekly hypoglycemic events (SD) in each group was 2.0 (1.4) and 2.3 (2.0) respectively. There was a higher reported frequency of weekly mild hypoglycemic events between drivers who reported pulling over at least once while driving due to symptoms of hypoglycemia (3.25 ± 2.38) and those who reported never having pulled over for hypoglycemia (1.87 ± 1.31) (p = 0.012). Respondents with a learner’s license reported higher adherence to guidelines than those with a full license. Conclusions Clinical education needs to reinforce adherence to recommendations, particularly checking blood glucose or wearing a continuous glucose monitor prior to driving, for all adolescents of driving age. The frequency of mild hypoglycemic events per week is associated with self-reported hypoglycemic events while driving.