KUALA LUMPUR: A government road safety agency is to hold talks with operators of food delivery services on the high number of accidents involving motorcycle delivery riders.
The head of the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research said the grim figures of road crashes involving food delivery riders during the movement control order period is a cause for concern.
“Four deaths, 55 serious injuries and 73 minor injuries within three months among the food delivery personnel using motorbikes from two app companies are not something that should be taken lightly,” said Miros director-general Khairil Anwar Abu Kassim.
Referring to FMT’s report recently on the high number of crashes involving food delivery riders, Khairil Anwar said the institute would engage soon with the various food takeout app companies including Foodpanda and GrabFood.
“We will highlight to the operators the need to establish safe operating guidelines and training for the riders,” he said, adding that riders should not be dicing with death to deliver prepared food.
Khairil Anwar is also concerned with the trend of using smartphones while riding.
“All eyes must be on the road. Using the smartphone while moving (on the road) should not be a standard practice even though there are those who installed a hands-free device on the motorcycle.
“Before starting the journey (to deliver food), it is best to look at the digital map from the smartphone to determine the route to the customer’s place.
“Say, if the rider is unsure of the location of the customer, stop safely at the roadside (to take a look at the map) and not do it while riding. Better be safe than sorry,” he said.
It is understood that Miros has started an online survey this week to gauge public opinion and the researchers would conduct in-depth study on the behaviour, operational pattern and analyse the road crashes data from police on the food runners.
Meanwhile, Grab has stated that it has a zero tolerance policy on traffic violations and reckless driving.
The company said drivers and delivery riders were always reminded to place their safety first and to follow road rules such as complying with speed limits, obeying road signals and traffic lights, and using a hands-free kit while riding and driving.
Grab said the company was able to gauge the road performance of drivers and riders via fatigue monitoring and telematics reports. “They regularly receive reports on their driving patterns such as speeding, acceleration and braking,” the company said.
Grab denied that its riders did not undergo training or that they lacked adequate insurance protection.
“Our riders are required to attend driver safety training and practical assessments and are equipped with helmets for driver-partners and passengers, as well as reflective jackets for drivers.”
He said riders are covered by a group personal accident insurance plan with active and top performing partners also covered by a 24/7 plan.
Foodpanda has yet to respond to FMT’s request for comments. - FMT
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