Working Conditions of Microbus Drivers in Mexico City as a Risk Factor in Road Safety

Abstract

There are approximately 45,000 legally registered microbus drivers in Mexico City. Being legally registered means that they fulfill in due time all the obligations and observe the regulations derived from their vehicle and their concession. However, for working and social security purposes they are informal operators and live in precarious conditions, as they are not in receipt of benefits and do not have a fixed salary or health insurance. This means that their job and the risks and demands involved in it are translated into long days of work, fatigue, professional illnesses and stressful conditions which lead to aggressive behaviors and constitute a risk factor in road safety. In 2012 alone, 4,712 accidents were recorded in this group. Thus, based on the premise that working and health conditions determine road safety, an exploratory descriptive study was conducted from a quantitative research approach. Such study consisted of 500 supervised interviews with drivers, to explore socioeconomic, work and health variables, including some aspects of road safety and driving styles. The exposure-effect ratio in road accidents was then analyzed. Among the main results of this research, a correlation of 0.77 was identified between road accidents and drivers working for over 8hours per day; 0.78 for drivers working more than 5 days per week; and 0.73 between the number of tickets and working days of more than 8hours. Road accidents are explained by these high percentages.