Sadly, deadly motor vehicle accidents here in Illinois and Indiana are often preventable tragedies caused by things like speeding; driving drunk; or drowsy drivers. Too many people are losing their lives in these collisions. Consider this: over 42,500 people died on our roads in 2022 according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, leading the agency to deem motor vehicle deaths as “our nation’s roadway safety crisis.”
Read Speeding and the Very Real Danger of a Serious or Deadly Crash; Factors in Drunk Driving Fatal Car Crashes in Indiana and Illinois; and Danger of Deadly Drowsy Driving Accidents in Indiana and Illinois.
For safety organizations, regulatory agencies, and advocates for accident victims and their loved ones, there is another significant risk factor in car accidents and semi-truck crashes that does not get the attention that other types of risky driving behavior do. This involves the health condition of the driver.
A variety of health conditions can impact a person’s ability to operate their motor vehicle, putting them at risk of a serious accident where they, or others, may perish. These include things like diabetes; sleep apnea; cardiovascular disease; seizure disorders (like epilepsy); and neurological conditions (think Parkinson’s Disease or Multiple Sclerosis).
Diabetes and Driving
One of the most common concerns involves drivers on our roadways who suffer from diabetes. This is especially important for those entrusted with commercial driving work, like (1) truckers behind the wheel of big rigs or (2) delivery drivers for companies like Amazon, UPS, Wal-Mart, or FedEx. For more on delivery driver accidents, read: Legal Liability for Delivery Truck Accident Injuries: How Many Have Responsibility for the Crash? and Hurt in Crash with Delivery Drivers for Amazon, FedEx, Wal-Mart, Target, UPS?
Diabetes is dangerous for drivers. Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) may cause the driver to experience confusion, at a minimum, as well as impairment of their motor skills. In some instances, it can be so powerful that the driver may lose consciousness due to blood sugar levels. There are also concerns that the driver may not be able to operate foot pedals efficiently because of neuropathy or has compromised vision because of cataracts; glaucoma; or retinopathy.
Millions Have Diabetes and Millions Don’t Know It
Of extreme concern is how commonplace diabetes is in this country. Millions knowingly suffer from it; and shockingly, millions of people have diabetes and do not know that they do. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirm the following, as of 2021:
- 11.6% of the U.S. population has diabetes;
- 14.7% of all U.S. adults (18 years or older) have diabetes;
- 8,700,000 U.S. adults (18 years or older) have diabetes but do not know it (undiagnosed diabetes); and
- 29.2% of adults age 65 or older have diabetes, since the risk of diabetes rises with age.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus (“diabetes”) is not just one disease but instead involves a “group of common metabolic disorders” where the individual has high blood sugar levels because of either (1) a failure of their pancreas to make enough insulin; or (2) their cells not responding to insulin produced by the body. It’s on the rise. The number of people who suffer from diabetes in the United States and around the world has skyrocketed in the past twenty years.
Read, Fauci, Anthony S., et al. “Harrison’s principles of internal medicine.” Harrison’s principles of internal medicine. 2008. 2754-2754; and Izadi N, Malek M, Aminian O, Saraei M. Medical risk factors of diabetes mellitus among professional drivers. J Diabetes Metab Disord. 2013 Jun 1;12(1):23. doi: 10.1186/2251-6581-12-23. PMID: 23725484; PMCID: PMC3674897.
There are two common types of diabetes. Most people suffer from Type 2 Diabetes, where the body does not produce enough insulin or there is insulin resistance. Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body cannot make its own insulin. In both instances, the diabetic must face life challenges in monitoring blood sugar levels, as well as food intake, insulin intake, and more.
Neither form of diabetes prevents someone from operating a motor vehicle, of course. The key is to understand the risks of diabetes and control it on a daily basis.
Diabetes and Commercial Truck Drivers
In 2018, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”) approved those suffering from either form of diabetes mellitus (insulin-treated (Type 2) or insulin-dependent (Type 1)) for interstate commercial motor vehicle licenses without an exemption. They need to have a Medical Examiner’s Certificate for getting the license. This must be updated each year.
The examiner completes a special federal form (MCSA-5870) stating the driver is in control of their diabetes and has a “stable insulin regimen.”
Diabetes and Delivery Drivers
Unfortunately, delivery drivers on the streets of Indiana and Illinois may not be as carefully monitored for diabetes dangers as the professional drivers of 18-wheelers, big rigs, semis, tractor trailers, reefers, and the like. For those delivering for DoorDash, Amazon Fresh, Wal-Mart, and more, they may be driving their own vehicles with state driver’s licenses (not CMVs) that do not come with advanced protocols like the trucker’s annual MCSA-5870 compliance.
As the American Diabetes Association explains (cited earlier) (footnotes omitted):
Regulations differ from state to state because each state adopts its own method to assess medical fitness to drive and its own process for issuing licenses. The criteria for identifying diabetes, the process for medical evaluations, and the imposition of restrictions on people with diabetes to receive state-issued licenses thus vary by state. Interested parties should contact the local motor vehicle administration for specific guidance on regulations in a particular state.
Approximately half of the states require drivers to disclose directly if they have diabetes or mandate self-identification of the condition. Other states inquire if drivers have any medical conditions that could lead to altered perception or loss of consciousness while driving. In most states, an affirmative response to either question initiates an investigation into the prospective driver’s health status.
In Illinois, drivers suffering from diabetes who are applying for a driver’s license or getting a renewal may need to go to their doctor and submit a completed “Medical Report for Conditions that May Impair Driving Safety.” In Indiana, those who use insulin to control their diabetes may need to meet certain guidelines, but for those who deal with their diabetes through diet, exercise, or oral medications, there may be no need for special steps to be taken to get or to maintain their state driver’s license.
Diabetes and Injury Claims After Car Accident or Truck Crash in Illinois or Indiana
After any motor vehicle collision in our part of the country, the accident victim and their loved ones must prioritize dealing with the immediate and overwhelming consequences of the crash. Medical care and treatment for the victim, as well as financial and emotional support for their loved ones, are paramount.
However, it is important that they understand there will be investigations of the incident undertaken immediately by law enforcement or government regulators, as well as insurance adjusters and defense counsel representing the interests of those who may have legal liability for what happened. Accident victims have an independent right to investigate these things, of course, but they are rarely first in line for the facts and analysis.
Accident reconstructionists and advocates for the victim and their families will work to determine all the reasons for the crash. There may be more than one cause. If a driver is found to suffer from diabetes, this must be considered as a possible causative factor.
While diabetic drivers cannot be assumed to be the sole cause of the crash, and driving with diabetes is not synonymous with fault in the event of an accident, it is imperative to study the diabetic driver’s condition at the time of impact in order to confirm if their health condition contributed to or caused the victim’s injuries.
Investigations will include not only medical histories and medical evaluations at the time of the accident, but things like preventative measures taken by the diabetic driver. For example: Did they check their blood sugar before driving? Do they wear a continuous glucose monitor? Do they keep snacks with them that boost blood sugar quickly (think juice boxes; snack bars; glucose tablets)? Did they know they had diabetes before the accident or were they undiagnosed?
Diabetic driving accidents can be heart-wrenching. Consider the 2014 California case of a 53-year-old driver coping with diabetes since the age of 14, who blacked from low blood sugar while driving and slammed into a car driven by a 25-year-old single mom of three who thankfully survived the crash but suffered life-long, catastrophic injuries as a result. Read, “$3.7M Verdict against Diabetic Driver Who Blacked Out and Caused Crash,” published by The National Trial Lawyers (2025).
For more, read:
- Accident Reconstruction Experts and Injury Claims
- Catastrophic Injuries in an Accident: Damages for the Loss of a Normal Life
- Passenger Injury Claims After Illinois Car Crash
- EDRs and Black Box Recordings in Car Crashes: Technological Data as Evidence of Fault in Personal Injury Claims.
Diabetes is a common health condition suffered by many drivers in Illinois and Indiana. If not properly controlled, it can endanger the diabetic driver and others sharing the roads with them. Please be careful out there!
