You Shouldn’t Drive When You Are In Low Blood Sugar

You Shouldn’t Drive When You Are In Low Blood Sugar
blood sugar

Hitting the road this holiday season? Taking the wheel when your blood sugar is low is just as dangerous as driving while drunk — and has many of the same consequences.

Most people know that driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is dangerous, but driving with low blood sugar, also called hypoglycemia, is also very dangerous. People with diabetes who drive at the wrong time can black out behind the wheel and injure or kill another person — or themselves. Still, results released in April 2011 by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists from an online survey of more than 2500 Americans with type 2 diabetes found that about 19 percent had experienced hypoglycemia while driving.

“If something happens and they pull your blood sugar records and find out that you didn’t check before you drove, you can lose your license. I have seen some patients have their license taken away and it is very difficult to get it back,” warns Amy Kranick, RD, a certified diabetes educator with the adult diabetes program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

When Blood Sugar Dips
Having hypoglycemia means that your blood sugar levels have fallen too low to support the needs of your body and brain. This is usually defined as less than 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). This dip in blood sugar is a possible side effect of some kinds of type 2 diabetes medication.

Symptoms of low blood sugar include:

Headache
Dizziness
Sweating
Hunger
Tremors or trembling
Pale skin
Anxiety
Confusion
Changes in behavior or mood
Clumsiness
Difficulty paying attention
Seizures
Loss of consciousness
Most people are aware of having low blood sugar and report that it is not a pleasant experience. But a few people with diabetes have “hypoglycemia unawareness” and don’t feel any symptoms until it’s too late. This is why it’s important to check your blood sugar before you take the wheel, just in case your numbers are going down and you’ve missed the signs or haven’t yet started to see the symptoms.



People with type 2 diabetes who take insulin are at increased risk for hypoglycemia as a side effect of this medication. A class of drugs called sulfonylureas, which lower blood glucose, can also cause hypoglycemia. Common sulfonylureas include Glucotrol (glipizide) and Amaryl (glimepiride). Patients taking medication from a class of drugs called beta-blockers, such as metoprolol, may have an increased chance of being unaware that their blood sugar is low.

Plan Ahead to Avoid Blood Sugar Dips
Here’s a basic outline of how to handle driving with diabetes:

Test blood sugar. If you’re at risk for hypoglycemia, “don’t ever get in the car without checking your blood sugar,” emphasizes Kranick. Your blood sugar should be around 150 mg/dL.
Correct blood sugar. If your blood sugar is too low, do not get behind the wheel. Wait 15 minutes to check your blood sugar again after eating or drinking one of the following:15 grams of a simple carbohydrate
4 glucose tabs
4 ounces of soda or fruit juice
Plan ahead. Keep healthy snacks in the car for emergencies. Make sure you have enough supplies for testing and correcting blood sugar in case you’re stuck away from home for longer than you planned.
Check blood sugar regularly. If you’re taking a long car trip, plan on checking your blood sugar every two to four hours. Make sure you have a stash of supplies to keep your blood sugar under control.
Driving with diabetes can be safe as long as you keep track of your blood s