Canadian Study of Diabetic Drivers Clouds Issue
Truck drivers who have “uncomplicated” diabetes and who are not taking insulin have a greater risk of being involved in a crash than diabetics who use insulin, according to research done by the University of Montreal in Quebec.
The Canadian researchers sampled data from 1987 to 1990 involving 3,500 commercial vehicle operators. Healthy individuals comprised about two-thirds of the group, while the remainder were diabetics.
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Dr. Marion Parrott, vice president of the American Diabetes Association in Alexandria, Va., said researchers accessed Quebec’s database of commercial truck drivers and found a control group that included “normal” drivers and drivers with diabetes. Her organization published the study in the May edition of its newsletter.
Canada is less restrictive than the United States for truckers with diabetes. However, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is revisiting the issue in this country.
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