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What's on Santa's list?
Page 66
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White van man takes over sleigh duties on Christmas Eve In a real sense white van man is the 21st century Father Christmas because van drivers deliver billions of presents during the festive period. And given the number of purchases made online these days Christmas Eve is expected to be the busiest day of the year on the roads. Nonetheless a survey by VansUnited found that many van drivers are disheartened by the lack of Christmas spirit shown on the roads — 38% of them said their ideal present would be for other road users to give them a break at Christmas. At the top of their Christmas wishlist was: • More leniency and accuracy from traffic wardens — more than two million fines are issued incorrectly every year and one in seven of those go to delivery men • Drivers to ensure their cars are roadworthy in the winter to cut down on the average of 4.3 million vehicle breakdowns in a typical Christmas period, leading to congestion and accidents • Parents to show more patience with children when out shopping/driving • Drivers to take more care in bad weather there are generally about 50% more accidents in bad weather • A designated van lane for deliveries over the Christmas period • More consideration from other drivers— not least by avoiding parking too close to loading doors or in loading bays • 'Civilian' drivers and pedestrians to show more Christmas spirit to working drivers • People to buy their gifts in advance to cut queues and traffic jams at late-opening shops which make deliveries more difficult • Employers to provide sat-nay units to working drivers — recent research shows that this technology reduces journey times by 18% and journey distances by 16% • The government to initiate seasonal fuel price reductions