The relationships between traffic enforcement, personal norms and aggressive driving behaviors among normal e-bike riders and food delivery e-bike riders

Abstract

Compared to other cyclists, food delivery drivers travel under specific time limits, and traffic regulations for electric bikes (e-bikes) are relatively lax compared with those for motor vehicles in China. Therefore, the present study conducts an intercept survey in Tianjin, China, to investigate the influence of external and internal regulators on food delivery and normal e-bike riders, accounting for occupation-related factors (time pressure). Our results suggest that both traffic enforcement and personal norms negatively influence the frequency of self-reported aggressive driving behaviors, which means that both external and internal regulations can effectively reduce the tendency of riders to drive aggressively. Furthermore, group differences showed that, for food delivery drivers, time pressure was positively correlated with aggressive driving behaviors. Traffic enforcement has a powerful inhibiting effect on the aggressive driving behaviors of food delivery drivers, while for normal e-bike riders, personal norms were stronger regulators than perceived traffic enforcement. Based on these findings, some feasible suggestions (e.g., limit the number of orders at a time, provide consumers a safe delivery time) are proposed to regulate food delivery e-bike drivers’ aggressive driving behaviors. • Food delivery drivers often have to make their deliveries within a set time. • The pressure of timely deliveries can make food delivery drivers more aggressive in traffic. • Traffic enforcement has a more powerful inhibiting effect on aggressive driving behaviors of food delivery drivers. • Among normal e-bike riders, personal norms were stronger regulators than perceived traffic enforcement.