White Van Man myths dispelled

Partial to the odd fry-up, a punt on the horses and a smoking habit to rival Bet Lynch, the stereotype of Britain’s White Van Man has never been too complimentary.  But now a new survey has shown this profile to be more than a little exaggerated.

Only 8% of the 1,000 van drivers polled said they started the day with a cooked breakfast, just 27% smoked and spending time with the family was the number one pastime. More than 40% said they visited the gym on a regular basis and enjoyed holidaying in Latin America, South East Asia and the Caribbean.

More than 30% owned laptops and kept themselves entertained with iphones and MP3 players.  Football remained the favourite sport, ahead of rugby and martial arts, while action and comedy films were preferred to costume dramas and romantic comedies.

Tony Way, the MD of Express Insurance which conducted the survey, said: “The results show that time has softened the stereotype of old. The fact that the pub didn’t even register on the favourite pastimes list shows how van drivers have become more cultured over the last decade.”

The requirement would be phased in from 2014, when 75% of each manufacturer's newly-registered vans would have to comply, on average, with the limit value curve set by the legislation. This will rise to 80% in 2015, and 100% from 2016 onwards.