Answering Yes

Advising the Department of Motor Vehicles in California that you have diabetes will not necessarily result in a loss of your driving license. In most cases, it will not.

However, it will normally cause the DMV to ask you to have you and your physician fill out a standard medical form it will review. If the DMV becomes concerned that you are an unsafe driver after reviewing the answers provided, your license may be suspended; or, you may be ordered to attend a hearing to answer additional questions about your diabetes.

Problems are likely to arise at this stage. Doctors are not normally paid to fill out these forms. Doctors do not always spend a lot of time answering these forms and may not fully understand how to fill them out. Many of the questions on the standard DMV medical form are confusing – to attorneys and physicians both.

It is important to ask the physician to let you or your attorney review the form before it is submitted to the DMV. The purpose of this review is not to ask the physician to misrepresent anything. Rather, it is to make certain improper answers are not accidentally given; or that confusing answers that might lead to a suspension are not given without a full and proper explanation. For example, a person with type two diabetes may be having trouble managing his blood sugars, but that does not necessarily make him an unsafe driver. These issues need to be explained adequately so that the DMV does not suspend a driver’s license without a proper medical basis to do so.

It is important to remember that serious danger and expense can be avoided at this stage. Discussing possible problems with a qualified physician – preferably an endocrinologist - can avoid dangerous driving errors; learning how to avoid hypoglycemia while driving can normally occur through simple actions taken with the advice of a physician that include making certain you are able to avoid hypoglycemia by testing before driving; recognizing symptoms of hypoglycemia if they occur; and treating them when they occur. Handling these issues properly can avoid the expense of hiring an attorney to recover your license or represent you in a criminal or civil action taken against you, as well as an increase in auto insurance rates.