Easing daily grind on long, winding roads

IT was in the course of driving a few van-derived vehicles over the past 12 months or so that I began to realise how much of a step forward there has been in terms of suspension and comfort.

Over the years I drove yokes that would shake the living daylights out of you. I used to pity those who drove them for a livelihood.

Nowadays even basic vans are decent to drive.

I’m not highlighting this because of the ‘driveability’ factor but because better underpinnings and better builds mean safer vehicles in the long run.

Not just in themselves but in how they reduce the effort that older vans have foisted on their drivers for so long.

A tired driver is a dangerous driver. Combined with a vehicle that may not respond along predictable grounds in the event of braking or swerving, you get a potentially risky partnership.

Thankfully such risks are being significantly reduced as vans become more ‘carlike’ — not just for their comfort or their equipment/ connectivity etc but for their enhanced engineering technologies.

I have great respect for those whose driving keeps the wheels of enterprise turning.

It’s no easy job for many, getting out of bed at all hours of the morning, lugging loads, struggling through the traffic, the rain, the mud.

Thankfully their task is being made that little bit easier, and (more importantly) safer as the advances on technology trickle down ever more quickly from their car and SUV stablemates.