Research Findings: First Comprehensive Data on Accident Rates Among Bicycle Food Delivery Riders

Last week, we presented the findings of our study on the safety situation of bicycle food delivery riders in Germany at the closing event of the German Road Safety Council (DVR) in Berlin. Riders are among the most accident-prone occupational groups: they work under high time pressure, in adverse weather conditions, and often under difficult working conditions, frequently with limited social protection. Drawing on over 700 surveyed riders from 64 countries of origin, the study provides the first comprehensive dataset documenting and contextualising the significantly elevated accident rates in this occupational group. More than half of the respondents experienced at least one accident during their time working as a rider. The findings cover working hours, protective equipment, demographics, rule-following behaviour, accident causes, and prevention approaches.

We sincerely thank the DVR for their funding and trusted collaboration, in particular Dr. Coline Kuche, Claire Borowski, and Kay Schulte, as well as the participating statutory accident insurance institutions BGN, BG Verkehr, and BGHW. Special thanks go to the Lieferando works council, Cycle, the trade union NGG, and all further cooperation partners. We also thank all participants of the event, whether present in Berlin or joined digitally, for their great interest and lively discussion.

The project was carried out by Juliane Anke and Simon Heintzen under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Tibor Petzoldt at the Chair of Traffic Psychology at TU Dresden.

The full report is available here: https://www.dvr.de/mediencenter/publikationen/sicher-unterwegs-auf-zwei-raedern/