Maintaining the lifeblood of your small business

The ability to remain mobile is a crucial factor in the success of so many small businesses, so much so that you’d think van owners would treat their little four wheeled treasures right. Well, it seems this isn’t always the case.

The results of a recent survey are in, and it is clear that van owners are choosing to treat their LCVs mean to keep them keen, rather than showing them a little bit of love.

Although 90 per cent of van owners will pay for their van to be serviced once a year, six per cent have never had their vehicles serviced. Of these cruelly neglected vans, 90 per cent have been involved in five or more accidents in the past five years - that’s a lot of accidents.

Neglecting to properly maintain a vehicle can result in an increase in downtime due to breakdowns; however, there are other consequences which are potentially more severe.

The survey, carried out by AXA Insurance, found that drivers who failed to properly maintain their vehicles were far more likely to be involved in accidents where their insurance claims were dismissed.

Another issue arising from the insufficient upkeep of vans is the validity of MOTs. Of those who serviced their vans less than once a year, only 56 per cent were confident that their MOT was up to date. The lack of a valid MOT immediately invalidates van insurance.

Of all the survey’s respondents, more than half admitted to having chips in their windscreens, while a quarter were aware of damage to mirrors, bumpers and exhausts that was awaiting repair. These factors could be sufficient for a vehicle to be deemed unroadworthy and your van insurance policy to be invalidated.

If you’re looking for van insurance to provide you with the protection you need following an accident, get a van insurance quote from Van Compare today.