DfT publishes survey of van owners

The Department for Transport has today published national statistics on the use of privately owned vans. The survey was carried out over a 12-month period from October 2002 to September 2003, when around 2,500 van owners provided details of trips they made.

Key findings included:

- Around three quarters (77%) of all trips are business/work related, with the remainder for personal activity. - The most common uses for a van are travelling to and from work. These two activities combined account for 38% of all trips made and 45% of the total distance travelled. - On average, trips made for personal use (mean = 13km) are significantly shorter than those made for business use (mean = 20km). - 81% of trips take place on weekdays. - The construction industry accounts for the most vehicle kilometres (41%). Personal use only follows, with 13% of all vehicle kilometres.