Awareness on Road Safety, Stress and Riding Behavior of Food Delivery Riders in Chiang Mai Province

Abstract

The number of food delivery riders has increased as the food delivery business as grown as a result of the COVID-19 situation. The nature of their job may have impact on their awareness of road safety, stress, and motorcycle riding behavior, increasing the risk of a road accident. The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to examine road safety awareness, stress, and motorcycle riding behavior among food delivery riders in Chiang Mai. It included investigating the relationships between road safety awareness, stress, and motorcycle riding behavior, as well as factors associated with road accidents during delivery. A total of 253 food delivery riders in Chiang Mai were recruited to take part in the study using convenience sampling. The study tool was a self-administered questionnaire that included general information, history of motorcycle accidents, road safety awareness, motorcycle riding behavior, and a stress test. The content validity of the questionnaire was reviewed. Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was 0.72 for road safety awareness and 0.81 for motorcycle riding behavior. Data was collected between November 2021 and March 2022. Multiple linear regression and multiple logistic regression were used for data analysis, with a statistical significance level of 0.05. The results of the study revealed that the majority of the subjects had a high level of road safety awareness (62.5%), a moderate level of stress (39.9%), and a good level of motorcycle riding behavior (68.0%). The road safety awareness score (B = 0.74) and the stress score (B = -0.14) were significantly related to the motorcycle riding behavior scores of food delivery riders (p < 0.05) after controlling for age, motorcycle modification, rider license, and receiving information about motorcycle accidents while delivering food, explaining 45% of the variance in motorcycle riding behavior. In addition, 50 food delivery riders (19.8%) had a history of motorcycle accidents while delivering food in the previous year. Most of them (86.0%) were untreated minor injuries. Factors associated with a motorcycle accident while delivering food were working more than 8 hours per day (Odds ratio = 2.09, 95%CI = 1.04 - 4.18) and a severe level of stress (Odds ratio = 6.14, 95%CI = 1.70 - 22.18). The findings could be useful for relevant agencies and organizations in considering road safety measures to reduce risky riding behaviors and to encourage food delivery riders to have safety at work, such as having appropriate working hours and stress prevention to reduce the risk of motorcycle accidents among food delivery riders.