Acute Hyperglycemia may impair driving skills of young T1DM patients

Abstract

Diabetic drivers are at increased risk to be involved in road crashes. While there is a large body of evidence regarding the effects of hypoglycemia on driving, very little is known about the effects of hyperglycemia on driving. The goal of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the effects of acute hyperglycemia (AH) on type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) drivers in comparison to euglycemic state. Eighteen T1DM drivers were asked to navigate twice through nine hazardous scenarios in a driving simulator during euglycemia and AH (mean glucose level 138±34 and 321±29 mg\dL respectively) in a counterbalanced crossover design. Driving performance was continually monitored for driving data and eye tracking data. During euglycemia, participants maintained a longer headway distance (Mean=50.46+26.2m) compared to AH (40.87+20.15m P<0.005). Under a state of euglycemia, participants had a fewer number of brakes per kilometers driven (4.31+3.867) compared to AH (6.69+5.192 P<0.05). This study provides evidence to the negative effects of acute hyperglycemia on driving performance.