Around 1981 the RAC added to the license application form a tick box to declare if you where diabetic but they stressed that it would not affect your right to hold a license. I still have the letter from them stating this.
Then the following year they brought in the rule that no diabetic could hold a license so the whole thing was just a ploy to establish who was diabetic in case they tried to hide it. I appealed but to no avail. There wasn't even the option to be seen by a specialist so as to prove you where fit to race.
But after a few years it was established that there was no evidence to say a diabetic is more of a risk than a non diabetic. This applied to car insuramce too as about this time too someone with diabetes had to pay an extra �50 or so which is no longer the case.
The reason why diabetics can now get a license is becasue the Human Rights Act made it illegal to discriminate against people unless there was evidence to support it. It doesn't say that exactly but that's how the courts interpret it.
I am not normally pro Europe but this is one good thing to come out of it.
Diabetes UK are campaigning to get all discrimination against people with diabetes removed from UK law. For example diabetics can now join the police and drive certain typs of delivery vehicle.
I would love to know who in the old RAC came up with the change around 1982 and where their advice came. Quite a few people deserve an apology.
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