"To Earn Even One More Penny, Riders Must Speed Up... Risking Their Lives on Deliveries" Anxious Riders

Intense Speed Competition in Online Food Delivery Like 'Single-Order Delivery'
"Only Relying on the Saddle," "High Risk of Accidents," Growing Rider Anxiety
Experts Urge "Improvement of Work Environment Including Worker Safety Training"

A memorial space has been set up near Seolleung Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, for a motorcycle delivery worker who died after being hit by a truck on the road.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] "It doesn't feel like someone else's problem when a delivery rider dies in a traffic accident."

Choi, a man in his 20s who makes a living delivering food on a two-wheeled vehicle (motorcycle), recently visited a memorial space set up in front of Seolleung Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Earlier, on the 26th of last month, a delivery rider was hit by a truck while riding a motorcycle and died.

Choi, who watched the memorial space from a distance, said, "It doesn't feel like someone else's problem when a delivery rider dies in a traffic accident," adding, "Even today, I rush down the late-night road carrying a food bag. To earn even one more won, I have to speed up, which increases the risk of accidents. We all risk our lives when we go out to deliver."

Recently, as delivery riders have been dying or seriously injured in traffic accidents, awareness of labor safety among delivery workers has increased. Some express concerns that this is a side effect of the increasingly fierce competition in food delivery. Experts advise that platform companies employing workers should also strive to improve labor conditions and safety.

On the 26th of last month, a delivery rider was killed after being hit by a cargo truck at a crosswalk near Seolleung Station on Seoul Subway Line 2. At that time, videos and photos taken by netizens who witnessed the accident were posted on social media and online communities.

The video shows a delivery rider who was stopped in one lane moving in front of a cargo truck in the left lane. When the signal changed, the cargo truck hit the motorcycle and drove off. It was reported that the truck driver did not see the motorcycle because it was too small.

Three days later, on the 29th of the same month, a delivery rider was injured in a collision with another motorcycle while delivering food. The delivery rider suffered a wrist fracture and was taken to a nearby hospital, while the other motorcycle driver reportedly injured a finger.

Black box footage of the motorcycle accident at Seolleung Station. / Photo by Online Community Capture

According to data from the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, accidents involving two-wheeled vehicles, including motorcycles, continue unabated. Last year alone, when non-face-to-face services were emphasized due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 21,258 two-wheeled vehicle traffic accidents due to the significant increase in online parcel and food orders.

The number of fatalities also increased. Deaths from two-wheeled vehicle traffic accidents accounted for 17% of all traffic accident deaths (3,081 people). This is a 2.1 percentage point increase from 498 deaths (14.9%) in 2019. This contrasts with the trend of general car accidents decreasing from 208,702 cases in 2019 to 188,419 cases, and fatalities dropping from 2,851 to 2,556 during the same period.

Given this situation, citizens' concerns about the safety of delivery riders are growing.

A man in his 20s, A, who usually orders food through online platform applications, said, "I felt heartbroken after watching the accident video. Some criticize the delivery rider for recklessly cutting in front of the cargo truck, but doesn't that mean the delivery was urgent?" expressing his sorrow.

In online communities mainly used by delivery riders, concerns about safety were expressed with comments such as "It's not someone else's problem," "The only thing to rely on is the motorcycle seat," and "If an accident happens, the bones won't even heal, and it will be instant death."

There are also claims that the frequent accidents are caused by fierce 'speed competition' intensified by the activation of online delivery. One netizen appealed, "Delivery riders are branded as outlaws on the road, rushing with orders worth only 10,000 to 20,000 won, half voluntarily and half involuntarily."

On the afternoon of the 1st, delivery workers are riding motorcycles and moving around downtown Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

Recently, online delivery companies have launched a service called 'single delivery.' Single delivery is a service where one rider handles only one delivery at a time. Unlike the existing delivery service that collects multiple orders at once, this allows customers to receive food more quickly. However, to secure more orders, the only way is to finish deliveries as fast as possible, making the competition for orders among riders increasingly fierce.

The labor union pointed out that the overheated competition among platforms to increase delivery speed causes such accidents.

The Delivery Service Branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Service Federation issued a statement titled "The motorcycle rider at Seolleung Station is our image" on the 27th of last month, saying, "People should understand that the reason why an ordinary breadwinner risks his life by rushing, weaving between cars, standing in front of crosswalks, and constantly switching between signals and phones is the speed competition among platform companies," adding, "Where is a 100% personal fault accident when a person dies? We want to ride safely too."

They also urged delivery platform companies to △ pay funeral expenses and consolation money to bereaved families △ make efforts to apply industrial accident insurance to accident riders △ strengthen safety education for riders.

Experts suggested that distribution companies employing delivery workers should make efforts to improve labor conditions.

Professor Eunhee Lee of the Department of Consumer Studies at Inha University said, "If these problems continue, it could negatively affect both distribution companies and workers. Consumers sensitive to ethical issues tend to react sensitively to labor treatment issues, and such reactions can quickly spread through the internet, potentially affecting sales," advising, "Companies need to take a stance to improve labor conditions through various methods, such as providing safety education manuals for workers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.