Keep your cab Christmas-free

You can just imagine the headline – ‘Rudolph responsible for Christmas chaos’. It’s a distinct possibility if one of the UK’s largest commercial vehicle insurers has done their homework correctly, as your van insurance policy may be jeopardised if you bedeck your cab with festive accessories.

The rainforests of pine-scented trees that have dangled from rear-view mirrors have been a popular site in taxis and vans of all descriptions for decades, but it seems that having your fragrance-emitting dangler festooned with baubles and tinsel is a step too far.

The temptation to turn the cab from grotty to grotto is too much for many van drivers whose job takes them away from their loved ones overnight during the festive season. Swinton Commercial, the biggest high street vendor of UK van insurance, is encouraging drivers to focus on the road ahead, rather than place non-static decorations where they could shift and potentially become a hazard whilst driving.

‘Dip, don’t dazzle‘ was a popular slogan when I were a lad for winter driving; beams bouncing back in thick fog or causing snow-blindness for oncoming drivers was the impairment the advertising campaign was launched to deter. However, the concern for the van insurance giant in latter years is that glittering tinsel may reflect advancing headlights or sets of Christmas lights – available with a plug-in attachment to the cigarette lighter to enhance their festive realism – can be an all to real distraction as the nights draw in.

The other issue, as temperatures drop the further we head into December, is that any unnecessary attachment that draws on the battery should be avoided at all costs. Replacement batteries may not warrant a claim on the old van insurance, but with roadside callouts stretched due to accidents on icy roads at this time of year, if you are stuck with a flat battery, responding to your call for roadside assistance may not be as high a priority and will be nothing other than an inconvenience, all around.

Irrespective of costs of repairs, callouts and van insurance claims the real concern is the possible effect on safety, should these decorations be the direct cause of a road traffic accident. The message is simple – whilst you’re driving your van, safety first.

Christmas is a time for spending time with your family at home, not them visiting you in Ward 10 because an Angel came down from on high and caused you to swerve into a field as the shepherds washed their socks at night. Christmas dinner courtesy of the NHS? Erm, get stuffed!