IOSR Journal of Nursing and Health Science (IOSR-JNHS)

e-ISSN: 2320–1959.p- ISSN: 2320–1940 Volume 9, Issue 3 Ser. VI (May - June 2020), PP 17-20
www.iosrjournals.org

Prevalence of Road Traffic Accident among Food delivery

workers in Southern Chennai
Vijayasankari A1*, Indra S2, Kalpana S3

Corresponding Author: Vijayasankari A

Department of Epidemiology,
The Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University

Abstract
Aims and Objective: The purpose of the study is to assess the prevalence of road traffic accident among food
delivery workers.
Methods: A Cross-sectional study design was used in this study.170 participants who are working as food
delivery work in Chennai were surveyed for the study. A semi structured questionnaire was used in this study.
Results: Among the 173 food delivery workers, 56 workers were met with an accident. In our study, it was found
that most vulnerable for the accident is 20-29 years of age. And the major risk factors was identified for road
traffic accident was mobile phone use while driving.
Conclusion: Even the professionals are working as food delivery works due to unemployment. This will be
avoided in future. Due to unemployment most of the professional are working this food delivery work without
any hesitation because of money.
Keywords: Food delivery workers, Road Traffic Accident, Stress, Mobile Phone usage, Prevalence, incentives.
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Date of Submission: 21-05-2020 Date of Acceptance: 08-06-2020
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I. Introduction
Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are an important public health issue that requires urgent attention in
developing countries like India, which has the highest proportion of deaths in South East Asia due to RTAs.
Almost 1.3 million people who are killed every year on the road and 50 million are get injured.(1) Every year
nearly 1.3 million people lose their lives on the road and as many as 50 million others are injured.(2). The main
aim of the study is to estimate the prevalence of road traffic accident among doorstep food delivery suppliers in
South Chennai and to assess the common risk factors for road traffic accidents among food delivery workers in
South Chennai. Road traffic accidents are ranked as the 11th leading cause of death in the world and the main
source of disability in developing countries.(3) The Global status report on road safety 2018, launched by WHO
in December 2018, highlights that the number of annual road traffic deaths has reached 1.35 million. Road
traffic injuries are now the leading killer of people aged 5-29 years. The burden is disproportionately borne by
pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, in particular, those living in developing countries.(1) As per the Global
status report on road safety 2015, 1.25 million road traffic deaths occurred every year. The most common cause
of death among those aged 15-29 years was road traffic accidents. Three out of four deaths due to road traffic
accidents were among men. 49% of all road traffic deaths were among pedestrians, cyclists and
motorcycles.(4)Online food ordering is the process of food delivery or takeout from local restaurants or food
cooperative through a web page or app.(5) Therefore, as per this system, the customer visits the restaurant’s app
or website, browses through the various food items, combos and cuisines available there and goes ahead and
selects and purchases the items he or she needs. These items will then be delivered to the customer at his or her
doorstep at the time they choose by a delivery person. Payments for such online orders can be made through
debit cards, credit cards, cash or card on delivery, or even through digital wallets.(6)With just nothing but a bike
and a smartphone, many a youth are now attracted to the incentive laced job of food delivery, where some of
them earn on an average Rs 1500 per day. Each delivery-based incentive encourages them to do more work
with some of them ending up with working more than 12 hours at a stretch. With national as well as
international food apps competing with each other in the metropolitan cities like Chennai, those with basic
knowledge of handling smartphones and familiarity with locations are keenly opting for hassle-free earning. On
each delivery, the bike-borne worker gets around Rs 50 if it is within the radius of 5 km and if the specified
weight and distance increases there will be an additional incentive. The boy gets the incentive of Rs 30 once he
reaches that particular restaurant; even if the order is canceled it does not affect his commission. It came to light
that there are people who are earning up to Rs 1 lakh by working 24-hours.(7)In a rat race to provide food to
customers faster than their competitors, delivery boys, attached to food aggregators such as Zomato, Uber Eats,

DOI: 10.9790/1959-0903061720 www.iosrjournals.org 17 | Page

 Prevalence of Road Traffic Accident among Food delivery workers in Southern Chennai
and Swiggy, show little regard to traffic rules and public safety. They are frequently seen driving rashly, talking
on their mobile phones while riding and drive on the wrong side of the road. Delivery boys drive dangerously.
They not only block roads in front of restaurants and eateries but also drive on the wrong side. Frequent
accidents involving food delivery boys have created panic among the residents. Though these mishaps take
place throughout the city, a very few are reported. At least 73% of delivery boys attached to online apps have
been found driving without helmets, using earphones, over-speeding and jumping traffic signals in the process
of supplying food to a customer.(8) In India, roads are an important means of transport. India has 3.34 million
km of road network consisting of national highways, state highways, major and district roads and village roads.
National highways account for 2% of the road network but carry 40% of road traffic.(9)

II. Methods:
The community based descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in the food pickup centres or
hotels in south Chennai. The study was carried out from April to June 2019. A sample size of 171 food delivery
workers were included in the study. The convenient sampling method was used to recruit the samples in the
study. A semi-structured questionnaire will be distributed to the study participants after explaining them about
the study. Informed consent was obtained from the participants. The questionnaire included that the
demographic data of the participant and their nature of the work, use of a helmet while driving, traffic rules and
regulations, mobile use, monthly income and incentives per delivery, etc., and also the socioeconomic status of
an individual also included. Socioeconomic status of the participant will be assessed. All the data were entered
in SPSS ver.24. The analysis of the data was planned based on the objective of the study. Both descriptive and
inferential statistics were used for data analysis and interpretations. The data obtained were tabulated, organized
and analysed based on the objectives of the study using descriptive statistics.

III. Results:
A total of 173 Food delivery workers were interviewed during the period of study.Analysis and interpretation of
the data of this study were done using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Table 1: Distribution of Study participants based on Socio-demographic profile.
Variables Sub category Frequency (n) Percentage (%)
<20 years 2 1.2
20-29 years 103 59.5
Age 30-39 years 60 34.7
40-49 years 7 4.1
>50 years 1 0.6
Married 62 35.8
Marital Status Unmarried 111 64.2
PG Degree 12 6.9
Educational Qualification UG Degree 114 65.9
Diploma 18 10.4
School 29 16.8
<10,000 5 2.9
11,000-20,000 10 5.8
Monthly income of the family 21,000-30,000 34 19.7
31,000-40,000 60 34.7
>40,000 64 37.0

The above Table 1 depicts that out of the 173 participants, majority 103 (59.5%) were under the age group of
20-29 years. 111 (64.2 %) were unmarried. Most of the workers >40,000 salary per month while compared with
other workers.

Table 2: Distribution of the Variables based on the Frequency and Percentage.

Frequency and Percentage
VARIABLES YES (%) NO(%)
Do you have a driving license? 171 (98.8%) 2 (1.2%)
Do you wear a helmet all the time? 140 (80.9%) 33 (19.1%)
Is night driving difficult? 145 (83.8%) 28 (16.2%)
Do you know the traffic rules? 163(94.8%) 10(5.8%)
Do you ever ignore the traffic rules and paid any fine? 38 (22%) 135 (78%)
Do you look for speed limit indications? 158 (91.3%) 15 (8.7%)
Have you used a mobile phone while driving? 103(59.5%) 70(40.4 %)
Do you find hand signals from other drivers confusing? 112 (64.7%) 61(35.2%)

The above table 2 depict that majority of the food delivery workers 171(98.8%) had driving license.
And most of the workers 163 (94.8 %) know the traffic rules and also they follow the traffic rules while
delivering the food orders.140 (80.9%) of them were wore helmet all the time. Among the participants, 38(22%)
DOI: 10.9790/1959-0903061720 www.iosrjournals.org 18 | Page
 Prevalence of Road Traffic Accident among Food delivery workers in Southern Chennai
of them were ignore the traffic rule while delivering the order and also they paid for the ignorance of the traffic
rules. 103 (59.5%) were used mobile phone while delivering the food order by driving.

Table 3: Distribution of the variables based on the Chi square value.

Ever met with a road accident on duty?
Chi square
VARIABLES Yes No Don’t know value
Do you look into the rear view mirror Yes 43 9 4
before 0.006
starting to overtake? No 106 11 -
Yes 27 7 22
Is Night Driving Difficult? No 79 4 34 0.050
Yes 40 7 9
Do you look for speed limit indications No 105 8 4 0.006
Have you had minor accidents/mishaps Yes 37 14 5
involving other people or vehicles? No 84 33 0 0.005
Have you been caught for not following Yes 25 29 2
traffic rules and paid any fine? No 11 106 0 0.000

The Above table 3 described that the chi square value of the variables. The calculated chi square value is less
than 0.05 level of significance. So, it reveals that there is association between the ever met with an accident with
the other variables.

IV. Discussion:
Road traffic accidents are routine occurrences throughout the world. Thousands of people lose their
lives on the roads every day. Many more left with disabilities or emotional scars that they will carry for the rest
of their lives. The future of a country is its young people. Road traffic accidents are the leading causes of death
globally among 15-19 years while for those in 12-14 they are the second leading cause of death. Speed is the
single biggest factor contributing to road deaths. Over 40% of fatal collisions are caused by excessive or
inappropriate speed. Excess speed is defined as exceeding the speed limit. Inappropriate speed is defined as
driving at a speed unsuitable for the prevailing road and traffic conditions. Road traffic accidents affect youth
worldwide. RTAs are considered one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality around the world.
Youngsters are the main victim of accidents. This will be a global burden in the coming years if it isn’t resolved
soon. In this study. Among the 173 food delivery workers, 56 workers were met with an accident. In our study,
it was found that most vulnerable for the accident is 20-29 years of age. Most of the workers are married and
their monthly family income belongs to 20,000 to 4,000. Among the Road traffic accident, even though the food
delivery workers using indicators properly when turning, 49 of them met with an accident. And then, even
though they look into the rear view mirror before starting to overtake, 43 of them met with an accident. Most of
the food delivery workers had their speed limit is 40-70 km. Among them, 56 were met with an accident while
compared with others. Food delivery workers 79 of them were using mobile phones while driving, among them,
26 were met with an accident. Many of the food delivery workers were going in the wrong direction and then
cross over the road.
The “Global Report on Urban Health” released by the UN-Habitat and WHO says that the number of
persons killed per lakh population due to RTAs in Chennai was the second highest across the major selected
cities, at 26.6%. Motorcycle accidents only account for approximately 50% of all traffic‑ related injuries. The
incidence of facial injuries in motorcycle and foot-powered cycling accidents is predictably significant. In
developing nations, where wearing helmets are not compulsory, almost 60% of head injuries related to
motorcycling accidents.(10)

V. Conclusion
In our study, majority of workers are fall in the age group of 20-29years. More than 50% of them are
unmarried. Around 65% of them completed their under graduation. Many of them getting the monthly income
of 20-40 thousand. Many of them working as a part-time worker. Majority of food delivery workers are working
8-12hrs. An average they are delivering 11-13 orders per day. Night driving and rear view mirror before starting
to overtake is playing a significant role in Road traffic accidents. Except few, most of them know the traffic
rules but they said due to emergency they are not able to follow it.Appropriate knowledge of traffic rules,
legally age and enough counter checks by traffic police can help to decrease the numbers of accidents among
adolescents. Participation of health personnel also required to educate the adolescents in various sections of the
community about traffic accidents, its causes, consequences, and traffic safety measures to bring a remarkable
change in the knowledge, attitude, and practices of adolescents among traffic safety. And also the food
delivering companies provide road traffic education to their workers .
DOI: 10.9790/1959-0903061720 www.iosrjournals.org 19 | Page
 Prevalence of Road Traffic Accident among Food delivery workers in Southern Chennai

VI. Recommendations
Since most of the people are not aware of the keen importance and need for traffic safety measures
among adolescents. Traffic safety is one of the vital components of interventions related to a healthy &
prosperous nation. Careful and adequate interventions need to be introduced and educated among adolescents to
prevent traffic accidents. Besides that health personnel play an important role in educating the public about the
provisions and methods of traffic safety among the young generation.
Ethical Consideration: The research included mainly access to records was performed with prior permission of
the appropriate authorities.
Conflict of Interest : No Conflict of Interest.
Funding statement : Self-Funding.
Informed consent : We got consent from the participants before data collection process.

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Vijayasankari A, et. al. “Prevalence of Road Traffic Accident among Food delivery workers in
Southern Chennai.”IOSR Journal of Nursing and Health Science (IOSR-JNHS), 9(3), 2020, pp.
17-20.
DOI: 10.9790/1959-0903061720 www.iosrjournals.org 20 | Page