Diabetic driver jailed for impaling pedestrian Darren Lock, 41, who admitted dangerous driving, was a type one diabetic who had been suffering from "hypoglycaemia automatism," which caused his blood sugar level to sink to a "very low" 1.8, as he drove home from Bedford railway station. Lock, an IT consultant from Rushden, Northants collided with a lamp-post and then hit William Dawkins, 46. Mr Dawkins spent a week in intensive care with two broken vertebrae in his neck, a punctured lung, a burst artery in his arm and a broken leg. Drivers are, under the Road Traffic Act, legally obliged to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency of any medical conditions which could have an impact on their ability to drive. Failure to do so is a criminal offence and it can also be treated as an aggravating factor when a motorist is convicted of dangerous driving. Lock will have to resit his driving test before having his licenced returned. The law governing diabetics has been tightened up in recent years following the introduction of an EU directive in September 2010. It said that any driver suffering two "hypos" - a drop in blood sugar levels - within 12 months should have their licence revoked. The interpretation of the directive included night-time attacks and, according to Diabetes UK, this led to a sharp rise in the number of motorists having their licenses revoked. It is estimated there are around 1 million drivers in Britain who take insulin to control their diabetes. They are required to renew their licences every one to three years.