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Road accident: 'White van man' scientifically proven to scare cyclists and horses

by Murdo Maguire — last modified 08-07-2006 19:48

White Van Man, viewed by many motorists as the unruly road hog at the wheel of a light delivery vehicle, who heckles other drivers for their driving, has been scientifically proven to be more of a danger on the road.

Drivers of white vans overtake cyclists an average of four inches (10cm) closer than car drivers, according to new research.

Using a bicycle fitted with a video camera and an ultrasonic distance sensor, Ian Walker from the University of Bath's Department of Psychology, cycled more than 180 miles in Bristol and Salisbury over two months.

He was overtaken by about 2,500 vehicles, of which about 200 were white light goods vehicles, which gave an average passing distance of just over 4ft 1in. Drivers of 200 black cars, used for comparison, allowed 4ft 5½in.

"At the kinds of speeds and distances that cyclists are overtaken on our city streets, reducing the gap between cyclist and vehicle can have life-threatening safety implications," said Mr Walker.

"Why white van drivers overtake closer is not clear; it could be a range of things, from social or personality factors, to the length and width of the vans, or even the stereotypical machismo of White Van Man.

"More than 2,000 cyclists are seriously injured in road accidents each year, and 100 die.

"If we understood what determines how close drivers get to cyclists as they overtake, we could do something to make collisions less likely, either in the way we construct our roads, or with advice to drivers about how they should drive and to cyclists about how they should ride."

The Highway Code advises drivers to give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as they would a car when overtaking.

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