Gig-economy delivery workers have an elevated risk of being involved in road traffic collisions. E-mobility is increasingly involved in delivery work, with e-bikes offering a relatively low-cost, easy and flexible mode of transport that supports earning an income. Evidence from local authority data shows that personal injury collisions involving e-mobility users has increased 25-fold from 2017 to 2023. However, relatively little is understood about the risk behaviours of delivery riders when using an e-bike for work.

Results of an initial behaviour survey identified riding without a helmet as a risky behaviour that delivery workers engage in frequently when riding an e-bike for work, with many riders reporting never wearing a helmet. A subsequent belief elicitation survey revealed perceived advantages and disadvantages, social approval and disapproval, and perceived likelihood of riding with and without a helmet while riding an e-bike for delivery work. A final study used a theory-based questionnaire to identify key psychological antecedents to delivery riders’ intentions to ride without a helmet when using an e-bike for work.

The study is part of a larger e-SAFE project (Equity, Social determinants, Anti-social behaviour, Future E-mobility), funded by the Road Safety Trust, which aims to better understand e-mobility road user behaviour. The presentation will focus on key findings from this work that can inform the design of effective safety interventions to increase helmet wearing among e-bike delivery workers in the absence of any policies or regulations regarding e-bike delivery worker safety.

Professor Damian Poulter, Professor of Psychology, University of Greenwich

Professor Damian Poulter is a Professor of Psychology in the School of Human Sciences and Institute for Lifecourse Development at the University of Greenwich.

His research focuses on road users’ risk behaviour in road traffic environments.