A random parameter logistic model of fatigue-related motorcycle crash involvement in Hanoi, Vietnam

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Highlights

  • This paper investigated fatigue-related crashes among motorcycle taxi drivers

  • Approx. 16% of motorcycle taxi drivers reported fatigue-related crash involvement

  • Logistic regression with heterogeneity-in-means random parameters was adopted

  • Delivery trips and overweight conditions increased the risk of fatigue-related crashes

  • Hybrid taxi drivers and most ride-hailing drivers had a lower risk of fatigue-related crashes

Abstract

Since motorcycle taxi drivers often work long hours, fatigue would affect their riding abilities, impacting crash risks. However, there is limited understanding about motorcycle taxi drivers’ fatigue-related crashes. This study investigates self-reported fatigue-related crashes among motorcycle taxi drivers in Hanoi, Vietnam. Results from a survey showed that approximately 16% of the motorcycle taxi drivers reported fatigue-related crash involvement. It was also found that nearly 37% of all crashes reported by motorcycle taxi drivers were related to fatigue while riding a motorcycle taxi. Results of the heterogeneity-in-means random parameter logistic model suggested that working fulltime, more delivery trips, and overweight conditions were associated with increased likelihoods of fatigue-related crash involvement. Hybrid taxi drivers, who operate as either traditional or ride-hailing taxi drivers at different times, and most ride-hailing taxi drivers had a reduced likelihood of fatigue-related crash involvement when compared to traditional taxi drivers. Overall, this study has revealed a significant issue of fatigue-related crashes among motorcycle taxi drivers. Immediate interventions via publicity or educational campaigns should be considered by authorities to address this important issue. Ride-hailing companies should contribute by sending warnings of excessive riding hours to ride-hailing taxi drivers.

Introduction

Crashes involving motorcycles are a major road safety challenge in many developing countries, especially in South-East Asia where 43% of traffic fatalities are related to motorcycle crashes (WHO, 2018). In certain countries where the traffic flow is dominated by motorcycles, the proportion of motorcyclist deaths can be substantially higher; e.g. approximately 60% and 74% for Vietnam and Thailand respectively (Ngo et al., 2012; Truong et al., 2016; WHO, 2018). One reason for the high fatalities among motorcyclists is their lack of protection compared to a car or heavy vehicle (Rifaat et al., 2012). Moreover, a higher incidence of unsafe riding behaviours, which has been widely reported in previous research (Susilo et al., 2015; Truong et al., 2018), also contributes to their higher collision and fatality rates (Chang and Yeh, 2007; Rifaat et al., 2012; Truong et al., 2019).

Another reason, especially in South-East Asia, is the use of motorcycles as taxis. Motorcycle taxi drivers tend to ride frequently, leading to high exposure to crash risks (Wu and Loo, 2016). Motorcycle taxis are widely used in many countries, which is attributed to their fast and low-cost service, and flexibility (Tuan and Mateo-Babiano, 2013). The advent of ride-hailing services has fuelled substantial growth in motorcycle taxis, leading to associated road safety issues. Yet, little is known about the impact of ride-hailing services on motorcycle taxi safety. One of the few exceptions is Truong and Nguyen (2019) who recently reported a higher risk of mobile phone-related crashes among ride-hailing motorcycle taxi drivers.

There is evidence that motorcycle taxi drivers would be more likely to engage in risky riding behaviours, such as red light running and speeding, when compared to non-occupational motorcyclists (Wu and Loo, 2016). Previous research based on self-reported data also showed high rates of crash involvement among motorcycle taxi drivers, with 62% during a 2-year period for all crashes and 29% for hospitalised crashes in Thailand (Khan, 2004), approximately 51% for injury crashes in Nigeria (Akinlade and Brieger, 2003), and 32.6% during a 1-year period for all crashes in Vietnam (Truong and Nguyen, 2019). Motorcycle taxi drivers’ safety issues would be further complicated as many motorcycle taxi drivers would also operate as delivery drivers. Frequent engagements in risky behaviours and a high level of crash prevalence among delivery electric bike riders have been reported in China (Zheng et al., 2019).

Fatigue is yet another possible reason for the high crash risks among motorcycle taxi drivers. It has been found to be a contributing factor to crashes among professional truck drivers and car taxi drivers (Morrow and Crum, 2004; Sabbagh-Ehrlich et al., 2005; Li et al., 2019; Wang et al., 2019). There was some evidence that driver fatigue was less prevalent among professional truck drivers than car taxi drivers (Meng et al., 2015). Riding a motorcycle and driving a car are quite different since motorcycle riders have to maintain their vehicles’ stability continuously while being exposed to weather conditions directly. However, little is understood about the fatigue-related crashes among motorcyclists (Haworth and Rowden, 2006; Horberry et al., 2008), particularly motorcycle taxi drivers. Like car taxi drivers, motorcycle taxi drivers also tend to have prolonged working and riding hours. Fatigue would affect their riding abilities, impacting crash risks (Bougard et al., 2016). A study in Nigeria suggested that 13.8% of hospitalised motorcycle crashes was attributable to fatigue (Oginni et al., 2009). Recent research focusing on delivery electric bike riders had suggested that the heavy workload and perceived fatigue were associated with general crash involvement (Zheng et al., 2019). More pertinently, our review of the published literature found a lack of research into fatigue-related crashes among motorcycle taxi drivers.

Drivers with obesity-related health conditions, e.g. obstructive sleep apnea, are more vulnerable to falling asleep or have reduced vigilance while driving (Dagan et al., 2006; Kay and McLaughlin, 2014). Obesity-related health conditions would therefore be significantly associated with fatigue-related crashes. Obesity, measured in terms of body mass index (BMI), has been found to be associated with increased crash risks, including crash rates and severity, among car and truck drivers (Sivak et al., 2010; Anderson et al., 2012; Bhatti et al., 2016). Yet, there is limited understanding about the relationship between BMI/obesity and motorcycle crashes, particularly for motorcycle taxi drivers. Liu et al. (2016) showed that obese motorcycle riders in Taiwan had longer hospital stays and different injury patterns compared to normal weight riders. In another study, Chen et al. (2018) showed that among older motorcycle riders, obese riders had a lower crash risk when compared to normal-weight ones. Recently, Truong et al. (2020) reported associations between motorcycle taxi drivers’ overall crash involvement and overweight. In summary, the link between BMI and fatigue-related crashes among motorcycle taxi drivers has not been formally investigated.

This study aims to investigate the prevalence of self-reported fatigue-related crashes and associated factors among motorcycle taxi drivers, using data from a survey of drivers in Hanoi, Vietnam. It will contribute to the literature by bridging the gap in research on fatigue-related crash involvement among motorcycle taxi drivers. In addition, it will also investigate the influence of BMI and type of taxis (traditional or ride hailing) on fatigue-related crash involvement among motorcycle taxi drivers.

Section snippets

Study Area and Data Collection

Hanoi is the capital city of Vietnam with a population of approximately 7.3 million (GSO, 2017). The number of road deaths in Hanoi is approximately 550 each year, accounting for around 7% of all road deaths in Vietnam (NTSC, 2019). Hanoi is a city with motorcycle-dominated traffic, where motorcyclists constitute the largest component of the traffic flow (Bray and Holyoak, 2015). In Hanoi, motorcycle taxis are widely used with the number of motorcycle taxis estimated to be between 50,000 and

Descriptive Statistics

Only 3.04% of the 362 motorcycle taxi drivers were female. The average age of motorcycle taxi drivers was 31.3, ranging from 18 to 65 years old. Nearly 71% of the motorcycle taxi drivers reported alcohol consumption in the last 30 days. Most taxi drivers had a motorcycle licence (99.45%) and a motorcycle insurance (93.65%). Approximately 59% of them either completed or were pursuing education above the high school level (i.e. higher education). Approximately 56% of the motorcycle taxi drivers

Discussion

This paper explored self-reported fatigue-related crashes among motorcycle taxi drivers in Hanoi, Vietnam. Factors influencing fatigue-related crash involvement were examined using the heterogeneity-in-means random parameter logistic regression.

Results indicated that around 16% of the motorcycle taxi drivers reported fatigue-related crash involvement. It was also found that nearly 37% of all crashes reported by motorcycle taxi drivers were related to fatigue while riding a motorcycle taxi. The

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Long T. Truong: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Data curation, Formal analysis, Writing - original draft. Hang T.T. Nguyen: Conceptualization, Investigation, Data curation, Writing - review & editing. Richard Tay: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing - review & editing.

Acknowledgements

A previous version of this paper was presented at the 41st Australasian Transport Research Forum (ATRF 2019). The authors thank Ly Minh Tuan, Nguyen Thanh Trung, Nguyen Trong Nghia, and Pham Tuan Anh for their support with the survey.

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