So I see someone has been working on a car which reads your blood glucose levels via an under the skin insert and a Bluetooth transmitter, here.

Interesting – but I have a couple of questions:

1. With the advent and increasing popularity of continuous blood glucose monitors, won’t we be able to have this functionality no matter what car we drive?
2. Does it stop you from driving if your glucose is too low or high when you start up the car? (a la a drink-driving gauge)
3. What does this car look like? (I bet it’s uuuug-ly)

Good point to raise though. I lived in London for seven years so low blood sugars while in transit were a lot less dangerous than in NZ where it seems you have to drive your car everywhere. I’ve had a couple of shockers in the last year and a half, in terms of low blood sugars while behind the wheel. The most recent was about a month ago. I’d left the gym and hadn’t had a blood sugar drop post-exercise for a long time. The drive in to work from the gym takes about half an hour. By the time I was five mins from work I suddenly realised I was very, VERY low. Like vision cutting in and out, gripping the steering wheel for dear life and terribly, terribly confused. I should have pulled straight over but made a call in my confused state to get to my work. Thankfully I made it without causing myself or any others any damage.

I just found this article on the Diabetes UK site about a young guy who had a similar experience and had a crash. Doesn’t bear thinking about.