Van Drivers Still Using their Phones Behind the Wheel

You know who you are – and according to the latest figures, it’s over half of you who are still insisting on using your mobile phone whilst behind the wheel.

A recent study has found that only 41% of van drivers are doing the right thing and using handsfree or Bluetooth technology to make or receive calls while out on the road.

And 17% of you admit to sending or receiving text messages or posting on the socials, whilst driving too. And it’s the Scots who are most guilty of these cardinal driving sins.

You do realise that by using your phone behind the wheel has not just a fine of £200, but a whopping six penalty points – which would equate to an instant job loss for many of you. It’s something you all need to consider when you think to pick up your phone to check your messages. 

Some studies show that 23% of you don’t even have handsfree set up in your van. 

The average van driver makes around seven calls a day and is on the phone for an average of 37 minutes. 

If ever there was a time that UK hospitals don’t need any additional patients as a result of an accident, it’s now. It’s time to put the phones down and get the Bluetooth up and running. Even if that means you need to wear a silly earpiece. 

And while we are speaking of hospitals, please stay safe out there – if you need to self-isolate, please do so. Jobs can be lost and found, but if you suspect you may have coronavirus, please do the right thing and protect others around you by making sure you take the necessary steps to keep yourself and others safe.

Van Drivers – what’s ahead with coronavirus?

Well, it’s a strange time to be alive, that’s for sure. Panic is mounting over the threat of coronavirus and for your average van driver, that could be a good or a bad thing.

The upside is that more and more people are choosing not to go out unnecessarily and have goods and services delivered to them instead. So many of you can look forward to busier weeks ahead (just think, it will be like Christmas all over again with a ton of deliveries each and every day). Happy days?!

The downside, of course, is what happens if you actually get the virus yourself. And being in and out of businesses each day makes you particularly vulnerable not just to catching it, but potentially spreading it too. Get hold of hand sanitizer if you can, don’t be afraid to ask businesses if you can wash your hands at regular times throughout the day and take a large pack of tissues and a van bin to dispose of them. Consider buying and using disposable gloves if you’re coming into a lot of contact with people. 

Many van drivers form the backbone of the gig economy and many are saying they simply can’t afford to take time off if they get sick. With a budget due this week, we hope that the new chancellor makes moves to do something positive to provide financial help to those who need it, should they be sick. Nobody needs a super-spreader making things worse. 

And of course, what happens for those of you who drive longer distances if we get to a stage where travel restrictions are put in place? Smart fleet owners may be able to set up an inter-regional relay type of structure where deliveries still get from a to b, but who knows if handovers will be possible? We’ll need to look to countries like Italy to see how they handle things and if there is anything we can learn from them. 

Hopefully builders and traders won’t see too much impact in the short term, but of course, there may be supply chain issues down the road (no pun intended) with goods from overseas getting to us on time. And there is of course, the threat of recession down the road all around the world, not just here. 

One thing you can do is make sure you keep an eye on your own money and keep hold of what you can in case you need it to get through the months ahead. Thankfully, we can help with that, by offering the best van insurance prices that will help you keep hold of as much of your hard-earned dosh as possible. In the words of one supermarket – every little helps. Just don’t go and blow all your savings on loo roll. 

When you’ve got to go…

News this week is a study that has been done into Britain’s motorways and how long you’ll have to wait between rest stops.

Perhaps unsurprisingly for those of us down south, it’s the dreaded M25 that tops the poll, with a huge 43-mile gap, between Cobham services in the south-west, to South Mimms, Hertfordshire in the north. Given how terrible traffic usually is, given that the stretch in between includes the exits for Heathrow, the M3, M4 and M40, that could be the longest 43 miles of your life, if you need to pay a visit. Bear in mind too, that Cobham is one of the newest additions to motorway services, and what those poor drivers had to endure previously, when the gap spanned between Westerham in Kent almost half way around the motorway.

The Midlands too, does not escape the agony of busting for a pee on the road. The gap from Warwick to Telford covers a long gap along the M40 and M54. It’s a huge 63 miles to wait, although thankfully, with less traffic than the M25, you may just make it in time. 

Back down south, the dreaded M4 between Reading and Membury also has a long wait of 39 miles between services.

Of course, being busting for a pee and safe driving are not natural bedfellows. You can get easily distracted and find yourself concentrating on that moment of blessed relief, not what is going on the road. And it is never advised that you use the hard shoulder to go – over 100 people a year are killed on the roadside and you don’t want to be part of that statistic. If you really do have to go and there are no services in sight, it’s always recommended that you pull off the motorway and find yourself a pub or petrol station off the busy road and go there. Many sat navs now can be programmed to find your nearest, so use it! 

Just one more word of caution. With the increase of coronavirus that we are seeing, take extra care in keeping your hygiene at its best. If you need to open doors when you get to the services, use your elbows, not your hands, wash your hands thoroughly before and after you go and try and wear gloves when making deliveries. If you have hand sanitizer, use it. A service station could be a prime breeding ground and van drivers will make the perfect super-spreader of the virus, so do your bit to keep yourself and the public safe. 

You may be getting anxious about needing a pee and coronavirus, but at least with Cheap Van Insurance, you don’t need to break a sweat about getting the best renewal price this year. That’s one less thing to worry about.

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