i'm 16 and have been driving for over a year. my mom is always telling me to check before i drive. she says that driving with a high bs is the same as driving drunk.
do you agree? have you ever had an accident when you had a high bs? is my mom over thinking the situation?
driving with a low bs is similar to driving drunk (you can google a million stories related to low blood sugar and driving). i haven't heard that about driving high, but there's always the possibility to falling ill while driving due to out of range blood sugars.
it's always good practice to check your sugars before driving, especially when you are first learning how to drive. you don't want any excuse to lose your license, because you won't get it again until you're 18 (and maybe 21 if they think you're dangerous). you want to prove to your mom that you are capable and responsible. i would follow her advice (even if it might pain you) :op
I agree w/ C, I think your Mom means driving while low. But, I always test before I drive -- it's just a good habit to get into and takes 30 seconds -- so, if you're high, you can correct for that too.
My son's endo emphasizes every time we are there: test before driving; correct lows before driving; keep quick glucose within reach while driving; check often on longer trips.
Yea driving low is a huge no-no ive done it and omg it was realll bad didnt get in an accident but its scary...but being high i guess its just a precaution but yea just try to get into the habit of doing it it will help in the future
I'm going to agree that driving while low is a lot more dangerous than driving while high. Whether your blood sugar is too high or low, you'll be distracted, which is never good when you're driving.
I went years without testing before driving, I had one accident while driving Low and that really woke me up to the hazards of not testing before driving anywhere. High blood sugars can be just as dangerous while driving as lows. As Angie said from what her endo told her, test before, after, and during for long trips. It can save you from many issues and problems.
I don't check before I drive and don't ever have any problems. If I feel low, i'll check but even if I get home and check and it's high I know I've never had a problem with driving while high.. I don't think it's really something to worry about, but if it's what your mom wants I'd respect her wishes.
i feel that driving low is the same as driving drunk...although when I'm low I feel more incapacitated than when I'm drunk. I've had plenty of nights out where I'll do a walk of shame or whatever, drive home, test, and realize that my glucose is 400.
Your mom got her highs/lows mixed up.
I think you would have to be really really high for a long time for it to affect your driving. But I do agree with everyone above, driving while low is very dangerous. In fact, when I take long trips, I get nervous about going low when I'm on the highway so I try to keep my blood sugars slightly higher (like 150-160) just to be safe.
Emily i get my license in 3 months and now with my permit my mom makes me check my bg to make sure im not high or low... i guess its just to be safe. i havent hear dof anyone getting in an accident but i think its a good i dea to check
[quote user="Courtney"]
I don't check before I drive and don't ever have any problems. If I feel low, i'll check but even if I get home and check and it's high I know I've never had a problem with driving while high.. I don't think it's really something to worry about, but if it's what your mom wants I'd respect her wishes.
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same here i never test before i drive unless i feel low or i had to treat a low less than 20mins before. the only time i'll stop and test is if i'm on a long drive(i.e. the almost 5hour drive from home to tofino) and i don't feel "right" or we're just stopped for a leg break..but for those kinda trips, i usually have just eaten so i've tested before we head off. i don't usually keep food in my car either, but for longer trips i always have a few cans of coke and snacks in the cooler that no one is allowed to touch, so if i do have to pull over, i've got food.
i've only had to pull over once for a low..and that was about two years ago now. highway driving while going low is really dangerous and not fun..
for the first while, it might be a good idea to test before you get into the car for sure just because it's all new, and always test if you aren't SURE how you feel...but i don't think i even did that when i was learning to drive..my mom usually asks me before i go out what my last test was anyways, but she's never asked me to stop and test before getting into the car.(i think she's forgetful like that lol)