Work

Characteristics of media-reported road traffic crashes involving professional delivery e-bike riders versus other e-bike riders in China

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: • Media-reported crashes help uncover overlooked risks among professional delivery e-bike riders in China. • Delivery rider crashes were more likely to involve non-motorized vehicles, road infrastructure and pedestrian crossings. • Delivery rider crashes showed higher rates of dangerous riding behaviors such as distracted riding and speeding . • Delivery and non-delivery rider crashes differed in the distribution of vehicle- and road-related contributing factors. Introduction: With the rapid expansion of food delivery services, crashes involving professional delivery e-bike riders have emerged as a critical traffic safety issue in China. However, limited research has systematically examined the epidemiological characteristics of such crashes. Methods: We analyzed media-reported crashes from 2009-2023 collected in the Automated Road Traffic Crash Data Platform (ARTCDP), which uses natural language processing (NLP) and BERT algorithms to extract data from publicly-available media reports. Differences in crash characteristics, geographic distribution, and contributing factors were compared between professional delivery and other e-bike riders. Results: A total of 4,417 professional delivery e-bike rider crashes and 17,025 other e-bike rider crashes were included. Pedestrians were the most common collision object (37%). Delivery riders were less likely to collide with motor vehicles (29% vs. 42%) and more likely to hit non-motorized vehicles (22% vs. 12%) and infrastructure (12% vs. 9%) than non-delivery riders. Intersections were the top crash site, but crashes involving delivery riders occurred more often at pedestrian crossings (21%) and bus stops (11%). The crashes demonstrated inconsistent geographic distributions. About 40% of all crashes had two or more contributing factors. Compared with crashes among other e-bike riders, those involving professional delivery e-bike riders had a higher proportion of distracted riding (27% vs. 17%), speeding (18% vs. 12%), riding in the opposite lane (15% vs. 6%), and illegal parking (12% vs. 4%). Malfunctioning tires, a lack of a barrier between opposite lanes, and impeded view by obstacles also occurred more frequently in crashes involving professional delivery e-bike riders than those involving other e-bike riders (40% vs. 20%, 35% vs. 22%, and 35% vs. 18%, respectively). Conclusions: Crashes involving professional delivery e-bike riders in China show distinct patterns linked to occupational exposure, underscoring the need for targeted, multifaceted road safety interventions. Practical Applications: Findings support tailored interventions for delivery riders, including vehicle checks, rider training, and infrastructure improvements near pedestrian crossings and bus stops.

Source: Journal of Safety Research

DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2025.11.008

Authors: Na Zhang, Peixia Cheng, David C. Schwebel, Wangxin Xiao, Li Li, Lei Yang, Min Zhao, Shuying Zhao, Zhenzhen Rao, Peishan Ning, Guoqing Hu

Institutions: Central South University, Capital Medical University, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Xiangya Hospital Central South University

Language: English

Topic: Traffic and Road Safety

Subfield: Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Good health and well-being, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,220