Everything you ever wanted to know about the White Van Man

The ubiquitous white van has been around for years, but it was only in the 1990s that “White Van Man” became a recognisable entity in its own right.

Here, specialist commercial vehicle insurance broker Adrian Flux brings you 25 facts about one of Britain’s most talked about motorists.

1. The term ‘White Van Man’ was first coined in 1997 in the Sunday Times – The Sun newspaper ran a regular White Van Man column in which a driver was interviewed on the issues of the day.
2. There are around 2.5 million white vans in the UK.
3. The average age of White Van Man is 37.
4. White Van Woman does exist, but she’s in the minority: around a third of white van drivers are women.
5. Essex boasts the largest number of white van drivers, followed by Kent and Lancashire.
6. The top five White Van Man professions are builder, delivery driver, shopkeeper, electrician and handyman.
7. More than one in 20 owners of white vans confesses to have enjoyed a romantic encounter inside their vehicle.
8. The average White Van Man doesn’t appreciate the graffiti etched into the dirt on their vehicle – more to the point, 92 per cent say they feel far better going about their business if their van is spotless.
9. And 72 per cent believe a clean white van actually makes them a better driver!
10. The average White Van Man drives 9,426 miles a year.
11. Two-thirds of White Van Men are married, 24 per cent are single and 10 per cent are divorcees.
12. More than half the owners of white vans have pets.
13. The White Van Man is one of the most highly-regarded drivers by the emergency services – they are often the first to make way for emergency vehicles thanks to their constant use of rear-view mirrors and high driving position.
14. The vast majority of White Van Men listen to independent radio stations.
15. The average value of the contents inside a white van is £1026, making insurance a must-have for owners.
16. White Van Man is actually safer than regular motorists, according to the AA, with only 32 per cent having made an insurance claim.
17. The same number – 32 per cent – bring a packed lunch to work with them every day.
18. More than half the White Van Men on the road spend more than 10 hours a week in their vans.
19. White Van Man was a BBC3 comedy written and created by Adrian Poynton and starring Will Mellor as the van driver of the title.
20. If you are looking for reasonably priced commercial vehicle and van insurance, ask Adrian Flux for a quote – because Flux specialises in a variety of van insurance types, they can offer great cover while minimizing your costs, whether you’re a sole trader with a single van or a company running an entire fleet. Visit www.adrianflux.co.uk or call 0333 5555000 for details.
21. In 2009, David Cameron’s Conservative Party asked what it needed to do “to woo White Van Man” after noting that support from C2 (skilled working class voters) had declined.
22. Research by Renault showed that the image of White Van Man as a rude road hog was “a gross caricature of reality”.
23. Just over 25 per cent of white van owners are self-employed.
24. Only 10 per cent admit to minor traffic misdemeanours.
25. Far from being unfit, 65 per cent of white van drivers take regular exercise.

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