This article originally appeared on our sister website, Urban Family Shanghai.
By Yuzhou Hu
It’s obvious that the popularity of food delivery services has brought great convenience to our daily lives. That being said, the sheer number of deliverymen who routinely ignore traffic regulations poses a safety risk to citizens. Last month, an e-bike delivery driver in Shanghai fatally hit an elderly woman, reports Shine.
The tragedy took place at 11.25am on July 19. An Ele.me delivery driver, surnamed Fu, hit the woman in a zebra crossing while speeding along Qinzhou Bei Lu of Xuhui district. The woman was rushed to a nearby hospital. However, she was pronounced dead shortly after.
Screenshot via QQ video
“I was in a hurry to deliver the food so I didn’t notice the lady,” confessed Fu. “I tried to slow down but it was already too late.” Fu was assigned full responsibility for what he did, according to the police.
To make matters worse, there are far too many delivery drivers, just like Fu, who regularly violate traffic rules so that they can deliver more food and earn more money. Based on the statistics released by Shanghai Police, there have been 325 accidents involving delivery men this year, resulting in 324 injuries and 5 deaths.
If it’s any comfort, traffic police have ordered a citywide clampdown on e-bikes and delivery drivers. All vehicles are now required to install RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips, which will help the police to better supervise and manage the e-bikes. In addition, they have talked with representatives from 28 delivery companies and asked them to take action in ensuring a safer environment in Shanghai.
Without a doubt, the reckless behavior of these deliverymen have enraged netizens.
“These e-bike riders, including deliverymen and house agents, are basically thugs on the road,” complained one netizen. “Riding on sidewalks or motor lanes, speeding, cutting through traffic lanes at will, you name it.”
“If the crackdown doesn’t work out in the end, we might as well just shut down these delivery platforms,” said a more radical netizen.
[Cover image via QQ video]
This article was originally published by our sister magazine Urban Family Shanghai. For more articles like this, visit the Urban Family website, or follow the Urban Family WeChat account (ID: urbanfamilyshanghai).
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