Caravan Insurance

Britain's van drivers are continuing to ignore advice and instead show the sort of bad road manners that endanger both themselves and other motorists, a new study has suggested.

Nearly two in five motorists fail to take a break every two hours while driving, a problem that has been particularly prevalent among van drivers of late with the result that fleet managers have been urged in many quarters not to work their drivers too hard.

In addition, more than three in five motorists do not drive far enough away from other vehicles, according to Natwest - something another recent study showed to be an increasingly common indiscretion among van drivers, especially when overtaking.

Head of general insurance marketing Bob Trinder explained: "It is clear from this research that for their own safety, drivers need to pay attention to advice and road rules.

"Driving safely is paramount. Many accidents, road rage incidents and subsequent insurance claims could be avoided by simply adhering to rules such as staying two chevrons away from the car in front and not talking on a mobile phone whilst driving."

The study showed older drivers to be more cautious than their younger counterparts, who are much more likely to drive insufficiently far apart from other vehicles and to use their mobiles while behind the wheel.

It also indicated a tendency towards lackadaisicalness amongst drivers, with around a third each admitting to making the foolish mistakes of leaving their vehicle doors unlocked and forgetting where they had parked.