Are you speed savvy in a van?

A new survey carried out for Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles has highlighted a disturbing lack of knowledge of the varying speed limits on UK roads when driving a van compared to a car.

For those to whom a van is an essential part of their business, full knowledge of appropriate speed limits is usually second nature, but how many ordinary motorists have hired vans for private use without knowing the facts?

Of those surveyed a staggering 85 per cent believed that vans of all sizes obey the same speed limits as both cars and car derived vans.

The real truth, of course, is that while vans with a gross vehicle weight of less than 2000kg, such as the Vauxhall Astravan or Combo, are subject to the same speed limits as normal passenger cars, larger goods vehicles not exceeding 7.5 tonnes, but over 2000kg, are subject to lower speed limits on single and dual carriageways. All non passenger-carrying vehicles of less than 7.5 tonnes share a maximum speed limit of 70 mph on motorways.

The survey showed that of the 72 per cent of respondents who were incorrect in their knowledge of the correct speed on single carriageways, half believed they should not exceed 40 mph while the remainder believed they were safe to drive at 60 mph, the correct speed for cars, but not for larger vans which should be driven at no more than 50 mph.

A similar view was held on dual carriageway limits, the correct speed for a van over 2000kg is 60 mph, 28 per cent thought it should be 50 mph and a further 24 per cent assumed it was 70 mph – the same speed limit as in a car.

Results for motorway driving were split fairly evenly with 44 per cent correctly assuming it was the same speed limit as a car – 70 mph, while 56 per cent mistakenly thought it should be a slower speed of 60 mph.

“For operators who want to avoid speed limit confusion, a van with a laden weight below 2000kg makes a lot of sense,” said Steve Bryant, Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles brand manager. “It’s where vehicles such as Combo and Astravan have a key advantage over their natural competitors, many of which are subject to the lower speed limits.”