• White van man six times more likely to be caught on the phone than car drivers
• Scots and London van drivers most likely to commit phone offence

The stereotype of ‘white van man’ is borne out by findings from AA Van Insurance showing that van drivers are more than twice as likely to have racked up motoring convictions than car drivers.
 
The comparison between car drivers and small-business owning van drivers insured through the AA also reveals van drivers are six times more likely to have been caught using a hand-held mobile phone while driving.
 
For all convictions, 15.5% of van drivers have had their driving license endorsed within the past five years, compared with 7.4% of car drivers.
 
When it comes to mobile phone convictions, there is a stark difference between van and car drivers, with 2.4% of van drivers having collected a CU80* offence compared with just 0.4% of car drivers.
 
Simon Douglas, director of AA Van Insurance says: “The significantly higher number of van drivers’ offences is astonishing but is perhaps down to the pressure to get between jobs and keep customers informed. But they’re clearly getting stung for it – not just fines and the risk of losing their license**, but increased insurance premiums too.”
 
But a recent study of AA members in an AA/Populus study revealed that 42% of respondents admitted they had used a hand-held mobile device for phoning, texting or tweeting.
 
“This attracts a £60 fine and three points, the same as a SP30 speeding offence but it could lead to a more serious conviction for careless or even dangerous driving if a police officer believes you were not in proper control of your vehicle. 
 
“But unlike speeding, which can be recorded by roadside cameras, a mobile phone conviction usually relies on the offence being witnessed by a police officer which is probably why Londoners are more likely to be caught.”
 
Mr Douglas says insurers take a mobile phone offence much more seriously than speeding, even though the penalty is identical for both. 
 
“Our own research shows that on average, offenders can expect their insurance premium to increase by 9.3% for a single speeding offence and 18.5% if they have been convicted of using a hand-held phone.
 
“Insurance premiums reflect motoring offences for at least three years and for repeat offenders, up to five years**, costing up to four times more than the original £60 fine.”
 
Speeders in the country, callers in the city?

The South East is where van drivers are most likely to have picked up any motoring conviction with one in six (17.4%) having done so within the past five years, compared with 7.3% of car drivers in the region.
 
Van drivers in Scotland (3.4%) and Greater London (3.2%) are most likely to have been stopped by police and convicted of using a hand-held mobile device while driving, compared with 0.5% of car drivers in both regions.
 
Van drivers in the South West are least likely to have picked up any motoring conviction (14%) or for using a mobile phone (1%). 
 
Of car drivers, those in the North-West (8.2%) are most likely to have an endorsement on their license.
 
Mr Douglas adds: “The greater number of mobile phone convictions in London is probably because police are more likely to have witnessed offenders, who may make calls while stuck in traffic.  After all, technically you are still driving, even if you are waiting for the lights to change.”
 
Insurers’ statistics anecdotally suggest that using a mobile phone doubles the risk of being involved in a collision, Mr Douglas says. “You might accidentally drift over a speed limit.  No-one accidentally uses a mobile phone or sends a text.” 
 
Regional breakdown:
All drivers who have committed an offence within the past five years