Van insurance news roundup: 7 days ending 7 Apr 2013:
Whether you’re motoring about without valid van insurance or you’re facing heightened premiums after your vehicle’s been broken into, van drivers can’t win.
There’s nothing worse than having your van broken into and your belongings pilfered, and Nottinghamshire Police are issuing warnings about a rash of can break-ins that are plaguing the Selston area. Work vans in particular seem to be targeted by thieves, police say, and items stolen from these vehicles include expensive tools that can be difficult to replace, even if you have third party fire and theft cover on your commercial van insurance policy.
Unfortunately there’s simply no way to secure a vehicle – even a van – as much as you could a building, so you need to take steps yourself to minimise the chances of some opportunistic berks come by looking to nick your valuables. Police recommend keeping anything expensive out of sight if you’re leaving your work van out on the street overnight; even better would be to take particularly popular items such as satnavs and high-end tools and remove them completely from your vehicle before leaving it for the night.
Of course, some van owners do more than just leave their valuables in their vehicles unattended – they apparently check their reason and conscience at the door when they climb behind the wheel! It’s rare, but occasionally you hear the story of how the police catch some bright bulb motoring about without proper van insurance cover or without a licence – which is exactly what 44 year old Damien Lannon was caught doing recently.
Mr Lannon, who owns a Citroen van, was caught red handed and now faces a six moth driving ban in addition to a fine of £360 after police stopped him for a routine traffic stop. Mr Lannon’s licence had apparently been expired for quite some time; to make matters even worse for the man, his van wasn’t insured either.
This wasn’t the first time the 44 year old had gotten himself into trouble, as according to court documents his licence already bore nine penalty points. The driving without proper cover awarded him an additional six points, putting him over the threshold for a six month ban, lucky bloke that he is.
If Mr Lannon thought it was expensive to secure cover for his van before this whole mess, imagine what a nasty shock he’s going to be in for in six months when he finds that the insurers willing to provide cover to someone with a track record of disobeying the law when it comes to compulsory insurance are few and far between!