Van insurance customers in Northern Ireland and the wider UK have been stepping up their vehicle security during the recession, Swinton has discovered.

The majority of 2,000 commercial vehicle drivers questioned by the van insurance provider admitted they had either bought or updated protective equipment in the last 18 months.

Immobilisers and trackers were the crime-prevention methods cited most often by van insurance customers across Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, followed by extra door locks and steering locks.

Just under two-thirds of respondents revealed that safeguarding the contents of their van was their main motivation for taking security measures, while just over a fifth said the vehicles themselves were their main concern.

According to the van insurance provider's study, the recession is behind 91 per cent of drivers' growing fears about vehicle crime, which Swinton says has increased in some areas of the UK.

"However, this has had a positive effect on our van drivers as they are becoming increasingly more safety-conscious," remarked Phil Moss, Swinton's commercial vehicle manager.

He went on to note that many Northern Ireland van insurance providers offer discounts to drivers whose vehicles have extra security features like trackers and/or immobilisers.