Ever since the term "White Van Man" was coined in 1997, by Sarah Kennedy on Radio 2,

van drivers have taken on the mantle of what sociologists refer to as 'folk devils'.
Overtaking even the football hooligan in the league table of social undesirability,
WVM is now most often viewed as a mobile thug - a dangerous threat to the decent,
right-thinking, motoring majority.
In the media, WVM is variously described as "aggressive", "tattooed", and a
"tailgater". He is the "white male" and a "mad bastard" who "never signals", "cuts
up" other drivers and uses the kind of vocabulary that has to be represented by
asterisks in newspapers. So friendless has he become that those specialists in
populist opportunism, the New Labour Government, have felt obliged to contribute to
his public censure. The Minister of Transport, John Prescott, has made it clear that
WVM's days are numbered.
Rather than constantly railing against his fellow road users, WVM more often
retreats into a near Zen-like trance of inner contemplation in which the potentially
ulcer-generating sources of frustration no longer exist.

white van man • n 1. unruly road hog at the wheel of a light delivery vehicle who
freely heckles other drivers for incompetent driving, hesitation pulling away from
traffic lights or daring to drive any vehicle not a white van. Alternatively,
2.sage-like everyman, with finger on the pulse and accelerator foot on the zeitgeist
pedal

MOST COMMONLY SEEN: looming large in your rear view mirror.

COINED: in 1997 by renowned social commentator Sarah Kennedy (BBC Radio 2 DJ and
late of Game For A Laugh). Has since entered the official lexicon winning a place in
the Collins Concise Dictionary.
SPECIFIC ORIGIN: white's the way vans leave the factory. Many smaller firms don't
want the expense of painting them up in company colours (and anyway, that would
lower the resale value and deny motorists the hilarious sight of "Also available in
white" written in grime across the van's back doors).
OEUVRE: as a journeyman philosopher (cf. cabbies), the influential British tabloid,
The Sun, even has a column in which WVM can impart his wisdom to the nation.

EXAMPLE: Ford Transit jockey Nathan Long on the recent massacre of the Nepalese
royal family. "That was bang out of order."

DISPUTED USAGE: The UK's 2.2 million WVM are none too happy about their public
image. Half of those quizzed for a Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC) report said
it was other motorists who deliberately "cut them up". Three-quarters rate
themselves as better than average drivers.

DAMN LIES? Statistics. The AA now says WVM is 40, a safe driver and has not filled
in an insurance claims form in four years.

AKA: Derv-powered dervishes, Transit tearaways, mad b*****ds (according to SIRC

research).

White Van Man is definitely not to be confused

with "Driver in a Hat" - usually (but not always) sixty-plus, driving a stately and
stolid 35 kph down the middle of the road, slowing to a standstill five seconds
before starting to indicate a turn, and then continuing to indicate for the
remaining portion of his journey.
Of course they are not to be confused. WVM doesn't feel
the need to indicate.

Male, young and often self-employed, he drives his delivery van like a maniac around
city streets to meet his delivery deadlines, ruthlessly cutting up other drivers to
get ahead and frequently risking accidents, the 'White Van Man' is a common species
on the roads here in the UK (and probably in many other countries as well). Most
often viewed as a mobile thug , or as an unruly road hog hunched behind the wheel of
his rusty white charger, White Van Man has a reputation for heckling other road
users for incompetent driving, or hesitation of any sort, both of which are usually
met with wild gesticulations twinned with a burst of language that'd make a sailor
blush.
The term was coined in 1997 by renowned social commentator, BBC Radio 2 DJ and late
co-conspirator on Game For A Laugh, Sarah Kennedy . It has since 'offiicially'
entered the language after gaining a place in the Collins Concise Dictionary and the
Oxford Compact English Dictionary, and has even ventured into the realms of academia
after the Social Issues Research Centre published a paper entitled 'White Van Man.
Demon or Diamond Geezer?'

I had the misfortune of coming across a White Van Man during my driving test. He was
parked on my side of the road, facing me as I drove towards him. About 2 seconds
before I came level with his van, he pulled away, cutting right across in front of
me and forcing me to jam on the brakes to avoid a collision - not good for your
nerves, which are especially fragile during a test.
Sources include
http://www.sirc.org/publik/white_van_man.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk
http://www.quinion.com

White Van Man is also capable of driving his van at any speed, regardless of the
actual performance capabilities of the vehicle, providing there is another vehicle
no more than 9 inches in front of him.

I have postulated that Ford could probably win the F1 Grand Prix constructors' and
drivers' championship by entering a single driver in a battered white Transit.
Provided that they could squeeze it past the scrutineers, the van would always
finish second, about 6 inches behind the flustered and hassled winner, flashing his
lights and leaning out of the window. The cumulative effect of this consistency
would probably win the championship, so long as Michael Schumacher had a couple of
off days.

Being a White Van Man

Or "My experiences of driving from Manchester to London and back again in a large
white van".

This weekend I moved to a new flat but I had to pick up some hand-me-down furniture
from London. (Watford if you want to be picky) I hired a Long Wheel Base Ford
 Untitled
Transit from Salford Van Hire (who were excellent so this is their little
advertisement), drove it through the centre of Manchester (which I hesitate to do in
the smallest of town cars) and took it down to Watford on the motorway.
These are the things I noticed and possible insights into the the White Van Man
psyche.
Around Town

This is a big vehicle and you already have reputation for being nasty. People DO
move out of your way. No matter how polite you are and how much you try to go
against the white van rep, you are feared. People let you out of side roads without
you sliding out slowly. If you indicate to change lanes and people do emergency
stops to give you space lest you cut them up and ram them off the road.
This is a big vehicle, you have to plan every single change in direction 1/4 mile
ahead of when it is needed. This is perhaps where the average White Van Man fails
and then is forced to make last minute decisions that result in heart attacks for
fellow motorists.
Corners, oh what fun! For the longer vans like I had this is a nightmare. Have you
ever cursed a white van that is indicating left but stays half way or completely in
the right hand lane? This is so that he doesn't side swipe the lamppost/bin/OAP on
the corner. If you were to, say, decide to punish this incredibly bad driving by
putting yourself into the left lane (specifcally, if you drive a metallic silver
Toyota Yaris - you twat), is it any wonder that your average van driver is somewhat
irritable?
Profesional drivers are your friend. They go through this just as you do. If you are
courteous, they will be too. It's a whole road karma thing.

On the Motorway
This is where you notice the size of your vehicle the most! It takes you longer to
start and stop and you want to travel as far as possible in as little time as
possible. This means that when it has taken you 10 minutes to accelerate to 75 mph,
the last thing you want to do is take your foot off the gas. This is what affects
your driving on the motorway the most!
As VT_hawkeye kindly pointed out, in the US they don't muck about with their vans
and stick V8s in 'em. Unfortunately, White Van Men are also cheap so the majority of
vans are aneamic 2 Litre Diesel wimps, pushed to the ragged edge!

Lane hoggers. These are the people in the inexpensive 5 door painted in a rather
neutral colour that sit in the middle lane no matter what the circumstances. These
people do not appreciate that heavy vehicles may want to overtake them yet do not
have the ability to accelerate to 90+ on a whim OR use the fast lane. If you see a
van following you very closely and flashing its lights at you on the motorway, just
check the slow lane. If there's nothing there, use it!
Other Pros, again these are your friends. If you get a truck trying to overtake
another, let it out. If you are overtaking him, when he flashes you, it means that
you have covered enough distance to pull in front of him. All very nice. Once again,
it's about karma. (Thankyou is done by a quick flash of the opposite indicator or
the warning lights)
Some van drivers like to think that they are the fastest thing weighing over 2 tons.
They don't like it when you steadily wander past them in the next lane! It's amazing
how often you over take a White Van Man only to find him hunched over the steering
wheel staring at you as he goes past only 5 minutes later.