Statistics show that van drivers pick up twice as many convictions as car drivers.
Van drivers are more than twice as likely as car drivers to receive a motoring conviction, according to research from AA Insurance.
The data showed that on average 15.5% of van drivers have endorsements on their driving licences compared to just 7.4% of car drivers.
Regional breakdown
The pattern is pretty consistent across the UK. Van drivers typically collect more convictions than car drivers wherever they are! Just take a look at the AA’s regional breakdown of drivers who have broken the rules of the road in the past five years:
|
|
Van |
Car |
|
All convictions |
Conviction ratio |
Conviction ratio |
|
North east |
15.3% |
6.8% |
|
East midlands |
15.5% |
7.8% |
|
South east |
17.4% |
7.3% |
|
Greater London |
15.1% |
6.9% |
|
Scotland |
17.2% |
7.0% |
|
South west |
14.0% |
7.6% |
|
Wales |
14.1% |
7.7% |
|
North west |
15.5% |
8.2% |
|
West midlands |
15.5% |
7.3% |
|
UK average |
15.5% |
7.4% |
Source: The AA
Van drivers in the south east tend to carry the most endorsements on their licences (17.4%) while those in the south west are the best behaved (14%).
Car drivers in the north west receive the most convictions and those in the north east receive the least.
But all in all car drivers have something to be smug about. It seems that the age-old van driver stereotype (suggesting those who drive vans are dangerous, inconsiderate road users) is somewhat supported by these figures. Especially if you look at the most common type of conviction picked up by these drivers.
CU80-mobile phone offences
The analysis showed that van drivers were six times more likely to have been caught using a hand-held mobile phone while driving.
The ‘construction and use’ offence is punishable by a fixed penalty notice under the code CU80, which means you pay a £60 fine and get three points on your licence.
Implications
CU80 will remain on a paper licence for four years before it can be removed but lives on for a further year after that for insurers. This means insurance premiums will be affected long after the offence is committed.
What’s more, insurers tend to view CU80 as worse than speeding offences like SP30. Even though both offences carry the same penalty, insurers penalise mobile phone abuses more heavily.
According to Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, motorists can expect their insurance premiums to rise by 9.3% for a single speeding offence but by a hefty 18.5% if they have been convicted of using a mobile behind the wheel.
Douglas explains insurers' statistics suggest that using a mobile phone doubles the risk of being involved in an accident. He said: "You might accidentally drift over a speed limit [but] no-one accidentally uses a mobile phone or sends a text."
CU80 regional breakdown
Here is the table showing the percentages of mobile phone convictions van and car drivers, insured through the AA, received over the last five years.
|
|
Van |
Car |
|
Mobile phone convictions |
Conviction ratio |
Conviction ratio |
|
North east |
2.7% |
0.3% |
|
East midlands |
2.1% |
0.3% |
|
South east |
1.9% |
0.3% |
|
Greater London |
3.2% |
0.5% |
|
Scotland |
3.4% |
0.5% |
|
South west |
1.0% |
0.2% |
|
Wales |
2.9% |
0.4% |
|
North west |
2.9% |
0.4% |
|
West midlands |
1.4% |
0.3% |
|
UK average |
2.4% |
0.4% |
Source: The AA
Van drivers making journeys in the south west are the least likely to commit a mobile offence and the same is true of the car drivers in the area according to the figures from the table.
Greater London (3.2%) was pipped to the post by Scotland (3.4%) as the area a van driver is most likely to have been stopped by police and convicted of using their phone behind the wheel. But both figures dwarf the 0.5% of car drivers that were caught doing the same thing in each regions.
The large regional variation could be to do with the fact that there are a greater number of police in urban areas like London who are more likely to witness offenders.
Pinch of salt
In the AA’s research an average of 2.4% of van drivers had picked up the CU80 compared to only 0.4% of car drivers.
Douglas believes the disparity is to do with the pressure van drivers are under to get between jobs and keep customers updated.
But it may be that van drivers are just the ones getting caught. According to an AA/Populus study, 42% of respondents admitted to using their mobile to make calls, text and tweet while driving.
So van drivers aren't the only ones guilty of breaking the rules. They do however make the list of the UK's most annoying motorists - read Britain's most annoying drivers to find out why.
What do you think?
Are van drivers really that bad? Let us know what you think in the comment boxes below.
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Britain's most annoying drivers