White van man
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
White van man is a stereotype, a usually pejorative term used in the United Kingdom to describe aggressive, thoughtless drivers of light commercial vehicles. Such vehicles are almost always painted white at the factory — in order to facilitate easy sign-writing on the panelled sides — and as such, the colour is very popular among van buyers. Drivers of un-lettered white vans are often thought of as having poor road manners, cutting up other road users and generally failing to drive safely. The term is therefore used to refer generally to aggressive van driving, and is not usually specific in its target.
White van man is often thought to be a self-employed or small businessman, often a builder, carpenter or a plumber. His stereotypical vehicle of choice is the popular Ford Transit or Mercedes Sprinter light panel van. He is thought of as something of a villain, thanks to his dangerous style of driving and the fact that his van is not signed or lettered, thereby giving him anonymity. It is not uncommon for white van men to be known for their cabs being full of empty coffee cups and a copy of a popular daily tabloid newspaper on the top of the dashboard.
Use of the the term is a uniquely British social phenomenon, and has been in popular use for more than a decade - although the first known usage in the media is credited by some to BBC Radio 2's Sarah Kennedy in 1997. It should be noted that most van drivers do obey the rules of the road, and that the stereotype applies to small percentage of people. Female van drivers are not included in the stereotype, since they are a much less common sight than the male van driver.
Alastair Stewart, presenter of ITV's Police, Camera, Action!, in the episode A Lorry Load of Trouble (produced in 1997), had a sequence of footage from police forces in the United Kingdom showing the problems that "white van man" causes.
The Sun newspaper often uses a "white van man" as an alleged representative voice of the people.
