Traffic crash risk among on-demand food delivery riders in Danang city, Vietnam: Key contributing factors

The rise of on-demand food delivery services, operating on gig economy models, has gained popularity worldwide. However, this surge has led to a concerning increase in road traffic crashes involving delivery riders. From this, an urgent need has emerged for a comprehensive study to explore the complex traffic safety issues that this vulnerable group faces daily. Therefore, this study aims to provide in-depth insights into the unsafe riding practices of food delivery riders and to identify effective countermeasures to mitigate the risks they commonly encounter. To address this need, the study has proposed a theoretical framework based on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model. In addition, two constructs, including safety compliance and intention to violate traffic rules, are incorporated into the JD-R model to examine their impact on negative safety outcomes. A survey was conducted in Danang city, Vietnam, gathering responses from 419 delivery riders. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling was employed to analyze the relationships among the constructs in the developed model. The results highlight the significance of all job aspects as predictors of safety compliance and intentions to violate traffic rules. Furthermore, the study’s findings reveal that safety compliance serves as a mediator between job demands and job resources, influencing negative safety outcomes. Based on these research findings, platform firms can strategically consider implementing tailored solutions to enhance traffic safety, discourage participation in unsafe riding practices, and promote sustainable travel behavior patterns among delivery riders.