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Characteristics of media-reported road traffic crashes involving professional delivery e-bike riders versus other e-bike riders in China
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

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

Na Zhang, Peixia Cheng, David C. Schwebel, Wangxin Xiao, Li Li, Lei Yang, Min Zhao, Shuying Zhao, Zhenzhen Rao, Peishan Ning, …
Journal of safety research, Vol.96, pp.55-63
02/2026
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2025.11.008
PMID: 41786435
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2025.11.008View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

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.
 Data Mining Occupational safety Risk behavior Traffic injury surveillance Urban mobility

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