A few months ago van drivers in the UK were, on average, rated the safest motorists in the country. The rating, which followed  a study from Tesco in which it was revealed that they made fewer claims in comparison to other vehicle insurance policyholders, accordingly earned this class of motorists more respect from insurers as well as lower premiums. Particularly, as is often the case, women van drivers were the biggest beneficiaries.

With the sort of havoc the credit crunch is inflicting on every fabric of our society, even as it has been officially admitted that the UK’s economy faces it biggest challenge since the recession of the 1990s, it is a little wonder that insurance premiums, van insurance policies inclusive, are fast rising further beyond the reach of the ordinary consumer.

In view of the above, as such, no right thinking person will blame insurance companies for hiking the prices of their products in order to survive and even make some profit. If they must remain in business, I dare say, they have no alternative but to fix premiums at a cost that will reflect this reality, even though it means the ordinary consumer will be hit harder.

That insurers still find the room to encourage better and safer driving through reduced premiums for cautious drivers, therefore, calls for real commendation.

But a worrying trend, in spite of the gesture, is the growing incidents of motoring offences committed by van drivers. Whereas there are no statistics to officially back the claim that van drivers are now anything but cautious road users, a number of individual cases suggest so.

In the last six months, from the sad tale of the psychiatrist nurse who was killed when her car collided with a van, to the story of the man who ate crisps while allegedly driving with his knees, are horrifying examples of how some people are simply refusing to respect the right of other road users and not endangering their lives.

There are also those who won’t stop using their mobile phones while on the road and many others that have, for one reason or the other, been found at loggerheads with the law and appropriately penalised.

In spite of all this, one will be highly unjust to uniformly condemn every motorist or van driver for any direct or indirect culpability. After all, there are hundreds of others who have been driving for dozens of years without committing any motoring offence.

Even at a time when some of the most horrific traffic crimes are being committed with impunity, statistics still suggest that there is a decline in the rate of accidents in Britain. Apart from improved policing there are moves by individuals and groups to join in tackling the problem. A website dubbed betterdrivingplease.com in Worcestershire is one of such efforts. People can log on and write about bad driving and even cite number plate of erring motorists. While naming and shaming motorists who put other people at risk is a step in the right direction, some people argue the police are not doing enough to catch the culprits.

For insurers there is nothing more ideal than insuring customers who will make as few claims as possible and cause almost no trouble at all. The key to this is not turning in oneself into a superman, but in striving to keep to the rules that govern driving on public roads.

Van drivers need to tread with care and work hard to keep the hard-earned trust insurers have in them. This will certainly help them reap more benefits, including avoiding being in trouble with the police.