Traffic Safety for Electric Bike Riders in China

The use of electric bikes (e-bikes) in China has grown tremendously in the past decade. Traffic safety for e-bike riders is an issue of growing public concern because the number of fatalities and injuries is increasing. A study was conducted to identify risk factors affecting involvement of e-bike riders in accidents and to establish the relationships between safety attitudes, risk perception, and aberrant riding behaviors. The data used for analysis were obtained from a self-reported questionnaire survey of a sample of 603 e-bike riders in two large cities in China. The results showed that both gender and automobile driving experience were significantly associated with at-fault accident involvement. Males were more likely to have at-fault accidents than were females, and riders with an automobile driver's license were less likely to have accidents than were those without a driver's license. Two types of aberrant riding behaviors, errors and aggressive behaviors, were found to be significant factors for predicting at-fault accident involvement. Analysis with a structural equation model indicated that safety attitudes and risk perception both significantly affected aberrant riding behaviors. E-bike riders with stronger positive attitudes toward safety and more worry and concern about their traffic risk tended to be less likely to have aberrant riding behaviors. Practical implications for improving road safety of e-bike riders are discussed.