business owners

Sometimes it is easy to forget that not everyone has the same driving experience as you. Don’t be one of the (too) many statistics because you’re in a hurry or you think the vehicle in front is taking too long to manoeuvre around an obstacle.

People who drive for business (such as van drivers) spend a lot of time behind the wheel and it’s easy to become complacent about road safety, but when you think that if you are driving at around 30mph and take your eyes off the road for TWO seconds, you’ve travelled around 90 feet.

That’s the length of two double-decker buses, when your concentration is somewhere other than the road and what is on it. I’ll let that sink in for a few more seconds. Scary, right? It’s wise then, to familiarise yourself with the vehicle and the various controls and features, especially if you are progressing from a car to a van for the first time.

All vehicles are not created equal

The first thing you might just notice (hopefully) is the lack of a rear view mirror, for obvious reasons. You do usually have two pretty decent wing mirrors though and most will have blind spot mirrors on them as well. Get used to not looking over your shoulder for the blind spot. However, Ford, those guys we mentioned in a previous post, have been working on this problem and have come up with a smart mirror – it looks like a rear view mirror but in fact it’s using live images from a camera at the rear of the vehicle.

It has features to adjust the brightness depending upon time of day and also gives more viewing area than a conventional rear view mirror. A handy device to have, especially if you’re not too familiar with the width of your van yet.

Brakes are also something that will react differently to a car; especially if the load is light or no load at all. You might find them a little bit sharp – take your time and you’ll get used to them soon enough. Which leads quite nicely into – speed. Vans are subject to different speed limits, depending if you’re on a dual or single carriageway, but usually 10mph slower than for cars. Remember, just because it is the speed limit, it doesn’t mean it’s safe to drive at that speed in all conditions. Drive to the conditions of the road and arrive safely. If you are transitioning from a car to a van, you might want to ensure you’re adequately insured by completing this quick 3-minute form.

Ever wondered why some business owners always seem to get the best value van insurance? It isn’t by chance I can tell you that.

Thanks to a new survey of van drivers in the UK, we can better understand exactly how smart business owners get cheap insurance for their vehicles. Yes you heard that right. A few hundred people were surveyed, and they gave their best tips so that you can save money.

When I read the results of the survey, I must admit that I’ve heard all of these tips before, but it’s always a good idea to remind yourself of them if you want to get the best value van insurance.

Tell the truth

I know there are a few van drivers out there who might be tempted to make a few things up on their van insurance application. My advice? Don’t do it.

If you have to make a claim but your insurer finds out you didn’t tell the truth, which they probably will, then expect to have your policy cancelled. It goes without saying this is going to be very costly for you. Just tell the truth.

Multi buy discounts

One of the best ways for business owners to get cheap van insurance is to find out more about multi buy discounts.

This works out really well if you have two or more vehicles in your company, because you can then put them all on one policy and the insurance company rewards you for that.

Keep your vehicle safe

I have reported before on how Police are being called out to more van break ins than ever before, and from what I’m hearing this is a problem that is not going away. Unfortunately, criminals see vans as an easy way to carry out their activities, but this only serves to make van insurance more expensive.

This is why I advise everybody….keep your vehicle as safe as possible, including any tools that you have. The ideal scenario is to park your vehicle in a garage away from the street and to always take out tools at the end of the day.

If you can prove to insurers that your van is not going to be on show for every criminal in your area to get a look at, then you have a very good chance of getting the best value van insurance.

Shop around

When you have been with an insurance company for many years then you might feel a sense of loyalty to that company. However, in my experience you are not usually rewarded for your repeat business, and if anything, you could actually get a cheaper deal by going elsewhere.

Finding other quotes by shopping around might appear to be a hassle, especially when you are busy, but in fact it really isn’t that difficult when you use a comparison website. You can then find the best value van insurance.

Tag: business owners

Let’s take a bit of time out here folks

New Survey: How to get the Best Value Van Insurance

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3