It has been nearly twenty years since speed bumps were introduced on to UK roads, despite them appearing to have been part of the British road system since the invention of the car itself! Their intention and purpose was to slow down traffic and greatly reduce the risk and number of accidents throughout the country.

Initially they were positioned in places with a high proportion of the national road accident distribution. Interestingly, or not so much when you think about the high speed generation we currently live in; some 87% of drivers would much rather see them removed from the British road face altogether! The majority of these complaints come from van drivers, for when their vehicles are fully loaded the bottom of the van invariably lowers.

This then lowers the position of their exhaust, which has a negative knock on effect on the radiator and suspension which results in expensive insurance claims">claims, no doubt bumping up a business’s budget for van insurance.

It has been seen that over 30% of van and car MOT’s are failed due to suspension damage, something that road bumps heavily contribute to. ‘Drive slower’ seems to be the instinctive advice, however with the height of certain speed bumps quite literally being the size of a large ‘sleeping policeman’ the chance of not causing damage to a lowered vehicle whether it be due to style or the physics of a commercial vehicle is very low. A matter that causes more concern is the complaints being put forward by those suffering medical conditions such as Osteoporosis and arthritis, for their complaints are pain motivated as opposed to being driven by cosmetic or the simple need for speed.

To date the only advice being offered to the companies that are losing money each and every time the ‘average’ journey time is disproportionately increased for their van drivers by the presence of speed bumps is to install a device that will prevent their van’s from sinking and dipping; a feature that will undoubtedly bump up the budget they allocate to insuring their fleet of vans.

The company’s creating the device that will aid your vehicle by preventing it from dipping and sinking, offer a variation of kits at varying costs to you and your business rather than becoming preoccupied with the price, keep in mind the benefits, a reduction in the likelihood of your van falling victim to the damage of a speed bump and the catastrophic costs you could incur if numerous claims relating to the same apparent deficiency in your vehicle kept coming up.

The suspension muscle kits which can be professionally installed, have a number of benefits other than that of preventing the ‘back-off’ of your van from ‘bottoming out’ which are proving to be increasingly popular in the commercial van sector.

When carrying a full load these devices not only safeguard the vehicle but also offer a more comfortable ride as well as improving the van’s road handling capabilities. With all of these added benefits coming alongside the most important; reduction of the likelihood of accidents and ultimately van insurance claims, purchasing a muscle kit is appearing to be an essential for van drivers.

No matter how many surveys and questionnaires are carried out, speed bumps are in fact here to stay as their benefits to life and the preservation of it far outweigh the number of financial claims.

So whether you find them to be a nuisance or a necessity you have to find a way to safeguard your person and your load when driving lowered vehicles especially vans as they have the increased likelihood of causing damage due to the products kept in the van that in the event of an accident can act like an IED (improvised explosive device) as the contents can mirror ‘bomb-style’ shrapnel wreaking untold havoc on the landscape surrounding it in the event of an accident.