Van drivers across the UK are fighting against the stereotypical term ‘white van man’ as the majority of them think he never existed and was just invented by the media.
One of the UK’s leading Gladiator surveyed van drivers on their experiences, and 35% of them think that ‘white van man’ was merely a term created by the media to describe all van drivers. However, there’s a hardcore element of van drivers out there with whom the name has actually stuck and 26% are proud of being a ‘white van man’.
Gladiator managing director, Chris Price, commented, “This research shows that the majority of van drivers are unhappy being portrayed as a stereotype. But, knowing van drivers it’s not surprising that there are some of them out there who have a rebellious streak and are happy to be called ‘white van man’.”
But what’s the attitude of other road users towards people driving vans? A substantial 62% of van drivers felt that they were treated exactly the same as car drivers, 17% felt that people actually treated them with more respect than other road users, while 17% felt that other road users were more aggressive towards them.
Chris continued, “When you look at the split of drivers who answered our survey there is a vast array of occupations from estate agents to music teachers to plumbers. Also, just 17% actually drive the stereotypical ‘white van man’ vehicle of a Ford Transit.”
Issue date: 23rd July 2007 |
