Van use includes eating, sleeping and sex

Caught napping on the job, or even caught on the job! Vans are seeing all of life

IT’S no surprise that you spend a lot of time in you van. It’s what tradespeople do – when you’re on a job, your van is your hub.

As well as your carrying tools and equipment, it’s your mobile office. New research by insurance company Direct Line for Business reveals that almost a third (31%) of those surveyed cite this as a regular activity.

And again, not surprisingly, your van is a mobile dining room, too. Nearly half of those questioned (45%) said they ate their meals in their van.

For some, their van is also a bedroom – 11% of those asked regularly sleep in their vehicle. And 5% said they used their vans for sex!

The top 10 alternative van uses are:

As a tea break room (50%)
To listen to music (45%)
As a dining room (45%)
An office (31%)
A reading room (30%)
For smoking (14%)
For sleeping (11%)
For playing computer games on a mobile phone (9%)
For sex (5%)
For playing computer games on a handheld console (5%).

Somewhat worryingly, it appears some tradespeople are endangering their health while in their vans, as one in seven (14%) builders, plumbers and electricians smoke in their vans. Research from the British Lung Foundation found the levels of toxins in a vehicle can be up to 23 times higher than in a smoky bar.

The level of high-end technology carried in vans – whether for the business, or laptops, games consoles and even TVs – is also giving insurers cause for concern. (See Thieves target vans for high-tech gear.)