Elsevier

Accident Analysis & Prevention

Volume 91, June 2016, Pages 208-215
Accident Analysis & Prevention

Mobile phone use among motorcyclists and electric bike riders: A case study of Hanoi, Vietnam

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2016.03.007Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Mobile phone use was explored among motorcyclists and electric bike riders in Hanoi.

  • The prevalence of mobile phone use while riding was 8.4%.

  • Mobile phone use was higher among motorcyclists than electric bike riders.

  • Factors associated with mobile phone use were examined using logistic regression models.

Abstract

Motorcyclist injuries and fatalities are a major concern of many developing countries. In Vietnam, motorcycles are involved in more than 70% of all road traffic crashes. This paper aims to explore the prevalence and factors associated with mobile phone use among motorcyclists and electric bike riders, using a case study of Hanoi, Vietnam. A cross-sectional observation survey was undertaken at 12 sites, in which each site was surveyed during a two-hour peak period from 16:30 to 18:30 for two weekdays and one weekend day. A total of 26,360 riders were observed, consisting of 24,759 motorcyclists and 1601 electric bike riders. The overall prevalence of mobile phone use while riding was 8.4% (95% CI: 8.06–8.74%) with calling having higher prevalence than screen operation: 4.64% (95% CI: 4.39–4.90%) vs. 3.76% (95% CI: 3.52–3.99%) respectively. Moreover, the prevalence of mobile phone use was higher among motorcyclists than electric bike riders: 8.66% (95%CI: 8.30–9.01%) vs. 4.43% (95% CI: 3.40–5.47%) respectively. Logistic regression analyses revealed that mobile phone use while riding was associated with vehicle type, age, gender, riding alone, weather, day of week, proximity to city centre, number of lanes, separate car lanes, red traffic light duration, and police presence. Combining greater enforcement of existing legislations with extensive education and publicity programs is recommended to reduce potential deaths and injuries related to the use of mobile phones while riding.

Introduction

Research literature has highlighted crash risks associated with deteriorated driving performance resulting from mobile phone use while driving. For example, using a mobile phone while driving increases the chance of failing to perceive and process traffic signs and hazards on roads (McKnight and McKnight, 1993); it can also affect reaction times (Caird et al., 2008). As a result, the risk for drivers being involved in road traffic crashes is increased significantly by either using a mobile phone or a hands-free device (McEvoy et al., 2005). It has been reported that mobile phone use while driving is associated with 0.4% of fatal crashes in Nigeria, 1.2% of fatal crashes in the US, and 10% of injury crashes in France (OECD/ITF, 2014). Effects of mobile phone use while riding a bicycle have also been investigated in previous research. For example, cyclists have been found to make less head movements at intersections if they are using a mobile phone (de Waard et al., 2015). According to a study in the Netherlands, 10% of cyclists’ self-reported injury crashes occurred when they were using electronic devices, including mobile phones (Goldenbeld et al., 2012). As a result, in most countries, the use of hands-free devices is tolerated whereas it is illegal to use a mobile phone while driving a car or riding a motorcycle (OECD/ITF, 2014).

Rapid economic growth has been accompanied by an increasing level of motorisation and road traffic crashes (WHO, 2015). Due to their affordability, the number of motorcycles in many developing countries is high and expected to increase. For example, motorcycles account for 52% of the fleet of vehicles in Nigeria, 53% in Tanzania, 59% in Thailand, and 83% in Indonesia (WHO, 2015). However, motorcyclist deaths account for 23% of all road traffic deaths worldwide with South East Asia being the most vulnerable region at 34% (WHO, 2015).

Road traffic crashes are one of the leading causes of deaths and disabilities in Vietnam (Nguyen et al., 2012). In 2013, over 9000 people were killed in more than 29,000 road traffic crashes in Vietnam (WHO, 2015). The social cost of road traffic crashes was estimated at 2.9% of the country’s GDP (JICA, 2009). Motorcycles are the dominating transport mode in Vietnam, accounting for around 95% of 40.8 million registered vehicles by 2013. Motorcyclists are the most vulnerable road users as they were involved in more than 70% of road traffic crashes (Hung et al., 2008, La et al., 2013). A study using a sample mortality surveillance system in 16 provinces suggested that motorcycle users accounted for 58% of road fatalities (Ngo et al., 2012). The use of mobile phones and portable music devices while driving and cycling is forbidden by road traffic laws. However, there is no available information about its compliance level in Vietnam.

Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, has a population of 7.1 million people with a density of 2134 people per square kilometre (GSO, 2015). Between 2006 and 2011, the number of motorcycles increased to around 4 million with an annual growth rate of 13.1% while the number of cars increased to around 235,000 with an annual growth rate of 22.8%. It is estimated that motorcycle ownership will remain high despite a greater increase in car ownership. Electric bikes are an emerging alternative transport mode, particularly for teenagers, as riding them does not require a licence. In Hanoi, motorcycles represent around 86% of the traffic flow (Bray and Holyoak, 2015) and generate about 65% of all vehicular trips (World Bank, 2006).

The prevalence of mobile phone use among motorcyclists and electric bike riders has been reported in very few studies. For example, a study in Guadalajara-Zapopan, León, and Cuernavaca in Mexico showed that 0.64% of motorcyclists were using a mobile phone while riding (Pérez-Núñez et al., 2013). In another study in Suzhou, China, 0.4% of electric bike riders were observed to use a mobile phone (Du et al., 2013). These studies however focused on observation at intersections with traffic lights where there is a temptation to use a mobile phone during the red traffic light phase (Huth et al., 2015). Hence investigating mobile phone use at other locations such as mid-blocks is important for gaining a better understanding of the extent of mobile phone use. In addition, little is known about mobile phone use patterns among motorcyclists and electric bike riders, i.e. calling and screen operation, and influencing factors. To our knowledge, there is no study dedicated to understanding the prevalence of mobile phone use among motorcyclists in a motorcycle-dominated city. This paper aims to explore the prevalence and factor associated with mobile phone use among motorcyclists and electric bike riders, using a case study of Hanoi, Vietnam.

Section snippets

Study design

A cross-sectional observation survey was undertaken in Hanoi during October to November 2015. An important factor considered in the selection of observation sites was the inclusion of both intersection and mid-block locations. Another factor was the number of lanes since previous studies have reported that mobile phone use and helmet use among motorcyclists might be different depending on road types (Hung et al., 2006, Pérez-Núñez et al., 2013). Roads with different numbers of lanes, e.g. one

Preliminary results

After excluding cases with missing information, there were 24,759 observed motorcyclists and 1601 observed electric bike riders, forming a total sample of 26,360 riders. The majority of observed riders were males (62.5%) and riding alone (71.8%). Most riders were observed in dry weather conditions (94.8%). Around one-quarters of riders (24.4%) were observed at intersections when the signal status was red. Table 2 shows mobile phone use by demographic, site, and other characteristics.

The overall

Discussion and conclusion

Results of this study revealed that the overall prevalence of mobile phone use while riding among motorcyclists and electric bike riders in Hanoi, Vietnam was 8.4%, which is very high in comparison with reported prevalence in other countries. Mobile phone use among motorcyclists in Hanoi was 8.66%, which is 13 times greater than in Mexico with 0.64% (Pérez-Núñez et al., 2013). Mobile phone use among electric bike riders in Hanoi (4.43%) was 11 times greater than in China (0.4%) (Du et al., 2013

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dang Thanh Long, Kieu Xuan Loc, Nguyen Huu Hai, Nguyen Huu Tai, and Nguyen Thanh Tung for their assistance in data collection. The authors are also grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions.

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