Picture a driver approaching a sharp bend on a country road. As the car turns, they move their foot to slow down. But instead of pressing the brake, they hit the accelerator. The car surges forward.

For some drivers with diabetes-related nerve damage in their feet, a situation like this may begin with something most of us rarely think about: the ability to sense where our foot is without looking at it.

In our latest study, my colleagues and I examined 44 licensed drivers using a driving simulator. Fifteen had diabetic peripheral neuropathy – nerve damage caused by diabetes that affects the feet. The remaining drivers did not have neuropathy.

When our drivers encountered demanding sections of the simulated route, including sharp bends, only people with neuropathy made a particular kind of mistake: pressing the accelerator when they needed to brake. None of the drivers without nerve damage made this pedal error.

These findings provide new evidence that the nerve damage associated with diabetes can contribute to pedal confusion while driving.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is one of the most common long-term complications of diabetes, eventually affecting around half of people with the condition. It damages nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, particularly those reaching the feet and lower legs.

People may experience numbness, tingling or pain. As the condition becomes more severe, they can lose sensitivity to........

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