A parent of a diabetic man who had his HGV licence revoked has launched an online petition calling for the government to reconsider its opposition to sufferers of type 1 diabetes driving trucks.
Under the name of Dolly Ford, an online petition has been set up with the message: "We the undersigned petition to the Prime Minister to seriously reconsider the cancellation of HGV licences to sufferers of Type 1 diabetes."
The DVLA has a policy of preventing type 1 (insulin-taking) diabetes sufferers driving a lorry.
The petition creator says that after their 36-year-old son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, he had his HGV licence revoked despite having been a lorry driver for 12 years.
"He has never once had a 'hyper' in the last three years of his condition, so is still very capable of pursuing his lifelong dream. After all, how many sufferers of other conditions are still allowed to drive?" the petition reads.
University of Exeter researchers have argued that there should be individual risk-based assessments instead of a blanket ban.
The petition will run until 28 April 2010.
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