Taxi Driver Online

A man with diabetes has cleared the first hurdle in a legal battle over his right to hold a taxi driver's licence.

David Henry, from County Down, won the right to challenge a government decision to refuse him a permit because of his use of insulin.

Mr Justice Weatherup ruled that it could be argued the refusal breached human rights legislation.

At the High Court sitting in Belfast on Monday, he granted Mr Henry leave to apply for a judicial review.

Mr Henry began his challenge after his application for a licence was refused in December 2008. Department of Environment (NI) regulations exclude diabetics who require insulin treatment.

The judge said that the dispute centred on whether the applicant was insulin dependent or receiving insulin treatment.

A full hearing is scheduled for September.

I wish the chap well.

Just for the record does anyone know of any accident, involving a taxi/PH carrying passengers, that has been caused by a licensed driver blanking out due to his diabetes?

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IDFIMH

So do I, but lets remember someone who misses their jab will go light headed and is likely to crash, if we lived in a 100% world this wouldn't be an issue, but we don't and we all know how many drivers drive tired for 15 hours a day, so the powers have to assume someone with this illness might also try to buck the hours to achieve a living wage and someone quite innocent will pay the price, personally I think he's a mug for even trying to get a badge, it's one of the most unhealthy jobs on the planet and if he does get his way I think he can shave 10 years off his life for winning, if your reading this mate, drive a 9-5 van, pick up the wage and don't have the stress this job brings on, whatever your mate told you he earns half it and wave the family bon voyage as that is what happens to 70% of ppl who take up driving a cab, my relationship lasted 4 mths when I started out, took me another 9 years before I found a girl to settle with properly and even now I find myself juggling between providing and being a dad.

I know you say your off the scale but do you mean a perfect world

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

If you're looking for sex just say so, don't disguise it in a reply


Seriously though, what I mean hun, is 100% where ppl are 100% for the whole good, i.e nobody pulls a stroke, or nobody has too, but in this game when you have a payin of £270 to find and it's Saturday you will drive tired and for too long to get the payin, I just think the guy is craving a right hiding, especially in the current climate.

If you're working that hard sex is definately out of the question I wouldn't want to be the reason for your stroke

I was just being sarky about what percentage of the world you thought we had

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

It's not really relevant to the discussion, but I think you've got it the wrong way round here.

In a healthy person the body produces insulin to deal with the sugar in food, which ends up in the blood. In a diabetic this doesn't work well, so in bad cases they have to inject the insulin to take the place of the body's insulin.

The problem is that a healthy body can fine tune the release of insulin when required, but it's not so easy for a human to do this, so if you inject too much insulin then your blood sugar level will go too low and there's a danger you'll pass out.

By the same token, if they feel this coming on then they'll take a sweet or something with sugar in it to increase the blood sugar level and thus avoid passing out.

If they don't take enough insulin then they could eventually pass out due to a high blood sugar level, but that would probably take days rather than the short period that's relevant for the blood sugar going to low (a 'hypo' or hypoglycemia).

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Dundee rocks. Almost.

It's all too confusing for me, but, it seems clearer now I've read that

We had a driver that was diabetic always had his regular breaks etc and it never seemed a problem for him to do the job so I don't see why it should make a difference to anybody else

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

I've got a mate who's a diabetic and has been for some years, he injects himself as soon as he gets up and tests his blood sugar, he's been doing this for god knows how many years and has not slipped into a coma or anything. Reguar monitoring of blood sugar and a good diet keeps his blood sugar stable.

@ Dundonian

It is relevant as it's public safety at heart I'm on about vs driver desperation to make the bills deadlines, as I said to Toots in a 100% world NP, but it isn't 100% and ppl do what they have to to get by and not everyone is a good manager, I had a driver that I had to give a 160 mile round trip to at 3am one morning, I didn't want to give it to him because he had been driving since 9am the day before, eyeballs were out on stalks and red but it was his turn and he'd called for the job, I knew he shouldn't have had it, he knew as well but he kicked up such a stink when I tried to say no you can't have it, I can only imagine what the customers ride home was like that day, and we're not alone in the diabetic rules, you can't have a HGV either if you suffer from it, I know that driver was a different example but it highlights lack of responsibility in certain ppl, and public safety is the number one concern, or the rule on it wouldn't exist would it.


@ Nigel

If everyone was that reliable it wouldn't be a problem, but we all know not everyone is don't we.

You certainly showed your lack of responsibility when you let that driver do that long job after working from 9.00 AM the previous day. A responsible person would have insisted that they didn't do it no matter how unpopular that decision was.

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Grandad,

To be fair a taxi drivers life is not necessarily a healthy one. How many of them exercise regularly and eat properly. IMO and I don't wish to offend anybody, but, a lot of drivers are ticking time bombs and it's only by the grace of god there aren't passengers in their vehicles when something goes wrong. At least with a diabetic they are already aware there is a problem and more likely to take care of themselves.

With regard to the driver I used to work with he was very responsible and had regular breaks. The office was aware of this and didn't give him work that interrupted his routine and he understand why he missed out on some work. He always said it was better to miss out on some of the work than all of it

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Sounds like a good philosophy to me.

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Grandad,

Too true GD, it was 15 years ago, so you can appreciate the fact it's still in my mind I know what I should've done, but there were circumstances, the driver in question had a second wife and her family to keep, she had a diet of Whiskey, and Whiskey, they constantly put on him and he loved her so much he'd do anything to keep her happy, added to that he was a really great guy, covered in tats and looked like a pirate, but still one of the nicer ppl you meet in life and genuine, I know I should've said no but it was his turn on the long job rota and he wasn't going to miss out for whatever reason, today if I was still controlling it'd be a different story, but back then it was a case of the rules are next up goes if they so wish to.


@ Toots, thanks luv, again you come in with a sensible reply and can see both sides of it.

I aim to please

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!