KUALA LUMPUR – Close to a staggering 90% of food and parcel delivery riders admitted to using their mobile phones while making deliveries, according to Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
He said this is based on a behavioural survey conducted on p-hailing riders, which found that 88.8% of respondents acknowledged typing or checking the status of an order on their phone while on the road.
“This behaviour increases the risk of an accident, as a result of distraction,” he said in a written parliamentary reply to the Dewan Negara.
However, Loke did not mention how many respondents took part in the study, the party responsible for conducting the survey, or when it was done.
He said a separate observational study on the behaviours of p-hailing riders around Kuala Lumpur also found that the number of individuals who either held their phones or used a phone holder while riding has increased to 36.9% last year, higher compared to 2020.
Loke was responding to Senator Datuk Seri S. Vell Paari, who wanted to know the measures currently taken by the ministry to protect the safety level of p-hailing riders who used their mobile devices to make deliveries.
The senator also questioned whether the ministry has initiated any discussions with any technology providers about addressing this issue.
Loke said since the use of mobile phones while making deliveries are common, his ministry has taken measures to inculcate elements of risk management for riders through advocacy and safety training.
“These are aimed at increasing their knowledge about road safety, of which one of the safety aspects that is being emphasised is on the use of mobile phones.”
Separately, Loke pointed out that the government is currently in the midst of regulating the p-hailing industry in the country by way of amending several existing legislations.
Amendments will be made to the Land Public Transport Act 2010, Road Transport Act 1987 and Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board Act 1987.
All three bills for the amendments were passed in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday and will be moved to the Dewan Negara before they are gazetted.
Loke said once these go through, specific P-Hailing Land Public Transport (Licensing and Regulator) Regulations will be issued and must be adhered to by all parties involved in the service.
Yesterday in the Dewan Rakyat, Loke said that there had been 1,242 accidents involving food delivery riders from 2018 until May 2022. Of this, 112 died, 82 suffered severe injuries and 1,048 sustained light injuries, he said in reply to an MP’s question during debates on the Land Public Transport Bill amendments.
In June last year, Persatuan Penghantar P-Hailing Malaysia president Zulhelmi Mansor was reported saying that about three to four accidents were reported weekly among p-hailing riders nationwide. – The Vibes, April 5, 2023
