White Van Man’s reputation is getting another bashing after official Government figures indicated that van drivers are nearly twice as likely to use their hand-held mobile phone at the wheel compared to car drivers.
The Department of Transport found that 2.7% of van drivers use their hand-held phone at the wheel, whereas for car drivers the figure is just 1.4%.
The revelation comes at a time when UK van traffic is at its highest level ever – 45 billion vehicle miles last year – boosted by an increase in online shopping and home deliveries.
In contrast to the growth in van traffic, HGV use is in decline. The situation has sparked concerns at road safety group IAM RoadSmart, who have some sympathy for the unique pressures faced by van drivers which may lead them to use their hand-held phones at the wheel.
Their Director of Policy and Research Neil Greig said: “There is no additional test or qualification required to drive a van, over the basic car licence. This compares directly to drivers of HGVs, who must undertake a test in the vehicle they drive and continued professional development through the driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC). As more and more orders are made online, it is very likely that the increased growth in the number of van drivers will continue. But whether your fleet is made up of vans or HGVs, the same corporate manslaughter laws apply and as an employer it is not enough to assume that just holding a driving licence will keep your drivers safe. With additional pressures on them, including often overly optimistic delivery schedules, van drivers face challenges car drivers rarely will.”
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