New survey reveals motorcycle delivery drivers’ fears and perceptions

About one in five motorcycle delivery drivers have been in an accident in the past year.

A majority of delivery drivers said cars often cut in front of them, fail to indicate and are frequently inconsiderate.

Only half said they believed customers were concerned about their safety.

These were the findings of a major survey conducted by RoadSafetyUAE.

It looked at five areas: the behaviour of other motorists; delivery drivers’ behaviour; perception of customers; bike safety; and training.

Seventy-eight per cent of delivery drivers said cars and other vehicles often did not indicate, so it was difficult to anticipate their moves. Seventy-seven per cent said cars and other vehicles often cut in front of them, and 68 per cent said other vehicles did not seem to see them clearly.

The survey also found that 56 per cent felt that fellow motorcycle delivery riders sometimes endangered their safety.

“Motorcycle riders are among the most vulnerable road users and therefore it is important to understand their perceptions and fears to work on improvement potentials,” said Thomas Edelmann, managing director of RoadSafetyUAE.

Although 92 per cent of delivery drivers believe they are safe drivers, 19 per cent had been involved in an accident within the past 12 months.

“There is just no steel around them to protect them, and we see a growing number of motorcycle delivery riders on the UAE’s roads.

“We want to raise awareness for this topic via this pioneering delivery rider perception survey.

“We found riders’ perceptions quite shocking,” Mr Edelmann said, noting that only 51 per cent think customers are concerned about their safety.

“The riders’ awareness for safe conduct among themselves must be raised, because 56 per cent state that ‘sometimes other motorcycle delivery riders ride recklessly and endanger me’,” he said.

Four prominent UAE motorcycle fleets participated in the survey, and 222 riders completed the questionnaires.

We found riders’ perceptions quite shocking ... only 51 per cent think customers are concerned about their safety THOMAS EDELMANN Managing director, RoadSafetyUAE