Road Accidents Involving Delivery Drivers in South Africa

It’s unlikely you’ll travel far in any South African city without seeing motorbike delivery drivers, transporting everything from Uber Eats, Checkers and Takealot orders to car parts and accessories.

With the on-going boom in online shopping, the number of food and e-commerce delivery drivers on South Africa’s roads has skyrocketed. The majority of these drivers are on motorbikes or electric scooters.

Recent statistics involving this burgeoning category of road users are sparse, but all accounts point to an increase in motorbike collisions.

Delivery driver accidents: available statistics

Between 2023 and 2024 alone, fatalities involving motorbike accidents rose from 1.9% to 3.2% of all reported road accident fatalities.

According to Hein Jonker, founder and chief instructor of the Motorcycle Safety Institute of South Africa, crash statistics “are frightening”, and comprehensive data is scarce and underreported.

Jonker notes that there were 109 accidents involving food drivers nationwide in May/June 2020, compared to 84 accidents in May/June 2019. That’s an increase in accidents involving food delivery drivers of 30% in just one year.

On average, it’s estimated that seven delivery rider incidents occur on the roads in South Africa each day.  Close to 400 delivery rider crashes occurred in major cities over a year. Of these, 56 were fatal at the scene. A further 16 people later died as a result of their injuries.

These crash statistics are already out of date. In the meantime, the total number of delivery drivers on our roads has increased dramatically.

Also, many road incidents involving deliveries go unreported. This is because a significant sector of the industry, estimated at about 70%, comprises foreign nationals. Delivery drivers may fail to report accidents because they’re undocumented or, in the context of xenophobia in South Africa, simply wish to avoid attracting trouble.

Delivery drivers and road safety challenges

The vast majority of delivery drivers are on motorbikes or electronic scooters (“e-scooters”), which makes them less visible and more vulnerable than larger vehicles.

Delivery drivers on motorbikes face particular challenges:

• time limits for deliveries posed by employers (e.g. Checkers Sixty60 promises deliveries within 60 minutes “no matter the weather”)
• pay per delivery
• long hours on the road
• minimal training
• inadequate safety equipment
• old and poorly maintained vehicles
• dark and wet roads
• busy city streets.

What to do if you’re in an accident involving a delivery rider

Whether you’re a delivery driver or another driver involved in a road accident, follow these steps:

1. Pull over safely to the side of the road.
2. Call emergency medical services (10177 – or 112 from any cell phone) and the South African police (10111). Remember to give them your contact number.
3. Move an injured person only if the person is in danger from oncoming traffic. Otherwise, wait for emergency responders (or you could exacerbate any injuries).
4. Stay on the scene. When the police arrive, comply with their instructions.
5. If a person needs hospitalisation or has been killed, proceed to a police station and complete a full accident report.
6. If you have been injured, get medical attention as soon as possible (don’t put this off for later, sometimes adrenaline masks potentially serious injury).
7. If you are able, gather photographic evidence at the scene and record contact details for any witnesses.
8. If you are a delivery driver, inform your employer about the accident.

RAF claims involving delivery drivers

Anyone injured in a road accident who wasn’t solely responsible for causing the accident qualifies for compensation from the Road Accident Fund (RAF).

This includes delivery drivers (regardless of nationality or immigration status), as well as other drivers, passengers and pedestrians. The employer of a delivery driver may also have a legal responsibility to compensate the driver. This may depend on the nature of the employer-employee relationship.