driving permit rant

[jasparks]

Sorry for the rant, but knew everyone here would understand. My daughter has been told that to get her license she would have to do many things for her endo to write the necessary note. However it didn't click in our minds that she would need it for her permit to learn to drive. Even I didn't think of it.... just kept thinking it was when she actually took the driving to get the license to drive on her own.
She was already scared to learn to drive and had put it off... then she was in a rollover vehicle accident last year and got even more scared and put it off till now. She went in and got the booklet and paid for the packet etc... No mention of needing a Dr. slip yet.. and then today she is all excited, ready to take the written so that we can start teaching her to drive.....
and comes home CRYING.... Has to have Dr. slip or else they won't approve her permit (she passed written exam with flying colors)
It was just one more thing to make her "not normal". Just one more thing diabetes is messing with her life. She is already dealing with so much with school etc.
I hate it.. she hates it.... :(
Thanks for listening.
Julie

[bgallini]

I'm sorry! That had to be frustrating for both of you. Alex didn't need anything from the Dr for his permit or license.

[mollgirl]

Jason is 15 and we live in Fl. He got his permit just fine. They did type on there insulin dependent diabetic. You might want to double check that. I never heard of that. Sorry for your troubles.

[diamondback688]

That's pretty surprising. I'm in Florida and I had no problem getting my learner's permit or m regular license. Though, at this moment, my license just sits in my wallet as an ID card because I don't drive. TBH, I'm scared.

[Ellen]

Yep, there will always be those "annoying" (using a polite term) hurdles with diabetes, and unfortunately our children have to deal with it. We can just listen to them when they feel badly about it. Is it going to be a problem to get the doctor to write the note?

[misscaitp]

I'm sorry that your daughter has to wait. In December I'll be going through the same thing. Unfortunately in MD you have to get boarded, and have your doctor approve you saying that your safe to drive. And so far for me I have a feeling that I won't get approved, since I don't feel lows, and that's what my CDE says she will need for her to write the letter.

[Hollyb]

Hi,

I know what you mean; we just don't want them to have to deal with anything dumb on top of the real stuff they already have to deal with.

Here in Ontario you don't need a doctor's note but you do have to declare it and when Aaron when to get his learner's permit they asked him a bunch of unanswerable questions:

• how much insulin do you take a day? (Answer: it varies, depending on what I eat. Reply: Well, but how much a day?)

• how many times a day do you take it? (Answer: I'm on a pump; it depend on how many times I eat. Reply? So how many doses a day is that?)

He (understandably) just found it really frustrating. I fired off a letter to the Ministry of Transportation about that one. If you are going to ask people personal (and frankly irrelevant) questions, at least have them be up to date with current treatment! There was only one question asked that was actually germane to driving safely with diabetes: Have you had any blackouts in the past year?

[diamondback688]

Yea. Because it really matters how much insulin he takes a day and how many times a day.:rolleyes::rolleyes:Talk about questions that don't matter.

Oh, and this is the reason I don't drive:

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r35/diamondback688/accident001.jpg

[kierbabi09]

Yea. Because it really matters how much insulin he takes a day and how many times a day.:rolleyes::rolleyes:Talk about questions that don't matter.

Oh, and this is the reason I don't drive:

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r35/diamondback688/accident001.jpg

OMG did YOU do THAT?!?!??!
That looked pretty bad, IMO:rolleyes:

[diamondback688]

OMG did YOU do THAT?!?!??!
That looked pretty bad, IMO:rolleyes:

Yep. That was me. I had to pay the $1,000 to fix the garage.:(

Now you see why I don't drive. I'm scared out of my wits.

[Diet Dr. Pepper]

Yea. Because it really matters how much insulin he takes a day and how many times a day.:rolleyes::rolleyes:Talk about questions that don't matter.

Oh, and this is the reason I don't drive:

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r35/diamondback688/accident001.jpg

WOOOOOOWWWWW:eek: How the heck did that happen??!

[diamondback688]

WOOOOOOWWWWW:eek: How the heck did that happen??!

I was pulling up to park in the driveway and I confused the gas and the brake.:o:oThough, my mom freaking me out didn't help.

[jasparks]

Sorry it took so long to get back and say thanks for the support. Have been doing my college papers, tests etc as I try to finish my degree.

In answer to some questions: yes, our state requires a doctor's permission. They specifically asked about different diseases, but even though they asked when she picked up the permit packet, they didn't tell her they would not give her permit without the note.

Also, it will be frustrating to get the permission because her endo requires 30 days of blood sugar #s, and etc. and for them to see her etc. This cannot be done in the next 30 days and that is all the Driver's License place gave her to get the note or else she has to start all over again.
Very frustrating.... but like always, we will adapt.

Thanks for listening

[wdhinn89]

Sorry you are all going through this. It is another thing to add to the "this stinks" list.

What state are you from?

[CeeJay]

We just went through this a couple weeks ago--thankfully the dmv had a phone number to call and and I actually got to ask a person the question and they let me know that he had to have the letter/form for him to get the permit. When he had to fill out and sign the form, he asked me if they could ever take his license away. That was a hard one to answer. I totally get the "just one more thing" part!

We were fortunate that the dr got the form back to us right away. What state are you in? We're in Illinois. Good luck with everything!

[TerpSteph]

I was pulling up to park in the driveway and I confused the gas and the brake.:o:oThough, my mom freaking me out didn't help.

Yikes! We learned early on that Matt did much better when we remained calm.

Matt already had his license when he was diagnosed. We asked our CDE if he needed to notify the DMV and they didn't think it was necessary. (We live in Maryland.) After reading the earlier post, I'm wondering if he should get a letter from his endo now or wait until it's time to renew his license. :confused:

[misscaitp]

Yikes! We learned early on that Matt did much better when we remained calm.

Matt already had his license when he was diagnosed. We asked our CDE if he needed to notify the DMV and they didn't think it was necessary. (We live in Maryland.) After reading the earlier post, I'm wondering if he should get a letter from his endo now or wait until it's time to renew his license. :confused:

I don't really want to report having diabetes, nor do I think that it is definitely necessary. It's not fair that if a person were to have a once in a blue moon severe hypo, even if not on the road, that their license may be suspended for 90 days. But my CDE is probably not going to let me out of it.

[linda]

((((hugs))))) so sorry-Know how you feel..thanks for the heads up!!!!!!!!!!

[Bassicmom]

I think Washington State makes a little sense. All they ask, even when non-diabetic Mom here gets her renewal, is: "Have you had a seizure or loss of consciousness in the last six months?" On the same note, there are still deterrents to a license- a lot of unexpected lows ( sitting at the doctor's office talking at a BG of around 26 and on the phone with Mom w/ BG in the 40's) and a 400 mile drive each way from home to school sounds pretty daunting. Add that to the cost of insurance and so far my college daughter has been contributing to her friends gas tanks for rides- a win-win a lot of the time. She still has her permit and passed driver's ed. In an emergency, like if all her friends were drunk, making diabetes seem like the minor problem, I still want her to know HOW to drive- even if she rarely or never drives alone.

[maryellen816]

http://www.diabetes.org/advocacy-and-legalresources/discrimination/drivers/pvt-licensemap.jsp