Case Studies on Transport Policy xxx (xxxx) xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Case Studies on Transport Policy journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cstp Ensuring traffic safety of cargo motorcycle drivers in last-mile delivery services in major Vietnamese cities An Minh Ngoc a, b, *, Hiroaki Nishiuchi a, Nguyen Thi Nhu b, Le Thu Huyen b a b School of Systems Engineering, Kochi University of Technology, 185 Tosayamadacho-Miyanokuchi, Kami City, Kochi 782-8502, Japan Faculty of Transport Economics, University of Transport and Communications, Cau Giay, Lang Thuong, Dong Da, Hanoi 100000, Viet Nam A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T Keywords: Cargo motorcycle Traffic crash Last mile delivery Safety The prevalence of cargo motorcycles (cargo MCs) is rapidly changing urban freight transportation in Vietnamese cities As the dominant mode of transportation in last-mile delivery (LMD) services in Vietnam, cargo MCs are found throughout the country However, little is known about the risk of crashes involving cargo MC drivers, the factors affecting road crashes, and the perceived risk of crashes among cargo MC drivers This information is vital given the rising safety concerns and the economic losses due to traffic crashes in the country This study characterized traffic crashes involving cargo MCs as being either minor or major Specifically, our survey of 726 cargo MC drivers in Hanoi showed that 42.01% of respondents had experienced a crash within the last year, and 13.37% of respondents had been involved in at least one major traffic crash Competition for work and unsafe driving behavior were the main reasons underlying these risks Crash severity varied depending on the number of years that the drivers had worked in LMD, job type, income perception, delivery pressure, smoking and drinking habits, and mobile phone usage Major crashes were also associated with the distance travelled daily and the number of trips to the distribution hub Conversely, working overtime, lack of rest stops, daily order status, and traffic violations were associated with minor crashes These findings suggest that cargo MC drivers face numerous risks and that efforts to address these challenges are urgently required in order to promote the adoption of sustainable and healthy shipment practices Introduction In major Vietnamese cities, cargo motorcycles (cargo MCs) are a relatively new mode of cargo transportation that is rapidly changing urban logistics Widely considered to be a convenient, fast, and efficient mode of cargo transportation for last mile delivery (LMD), cargo MCs are popular among urban cargo carriers A recent traffic survey conducted by the University of Transport and Communications (UTC) in three Vietnamese cities found that cargo MCs accounted for as much as 11 % of traffic flow, while the maximum share of trucks was only 2.75 % (UTC, 2020) Their results also showed that cargo MCs have overcome the disadvantages of vehicle typology (i.e., weight and volume limitations) to become a highly favored mode of cargo transportation in the urban logistics industry Despite the ubiquitous nature of cargo MCs on Vietnamese streets, information about the trends in cargo MC use in Vietnam is limited Since cargo MCs not need to be registered to carry goods, city governments not know how many cargo MCs are active in the urban cargo transportation sector As a result, developing a traffic safety plan for urban freight transportation activities is difficult Studies on trends in cargo MC use and road traffic crashes are also limited, and most previous research has focused on fatalities and injuries involving trucks (Clifton et al., 2009; Giuliano et al., 2013; McDonald et al., 2019; Pokorny et al., 2017) In Vietnam, where this study was conducted, research on the road traffic safety of motorcycles has increased in recent years (Bui et al., 2020; Ngoc and Thanh, 2019, 2020; Ngoc et al., 2021; Nguyen et al., 2021; Nguyen-Phuoc et al., 2020a,b; Truong et al., 2018, 2020) However, most of this research has focused on passenger MCs and not cargo MCs To the best of our knowledge, no empirical studies have focused specifically on road traffic crashes involving cargo MCs This study, therefore, provides a valuable starting point, given that many of the vehicles used to transport cargo in cities are cargo MCs In this study, we characterized road traffic crashes involving cargo * Corresponding author E-mail addresses: an.ngoc@kochi-tech.ac.jp, anminhngoc@utc.edu.vn (A.M Ngoc), nishiuchi.hiroaki@kochi-tech.ac.jp (H Nishiuchi), nhunguyen@utc.edu.vn (N.T Nhu), lthuyen@utc.edu.vn (L.T Huyen) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2022.07.004 Received 21 March 2022; Received in revised form July 2022; Accepted 11 July 2022 Available online 14 July 2022 2213-624X/© 2022 World Conference on Transport Research Society Published by Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved Please cite this article as: An Minh Ngoc, Case Studies on Transport Policy, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2022.07.004 A.M Ngoc et al Case Studies on Transport Policy xxx (xxxx) xxx MCs with evidence obtained from a survey of logistics companies in Hanoi The survey examined both the incidence of crashes, and the factors affecting road traffic crashes while transporting goods The findings presented here focused on human factors instead of other causes, and it is hoped that the results will contribute to the development of a foundation for future research and for managing cargo MCs In addition, the findings can provide insights into cargo MC usage and the associated potential risks that can help policymakers, and carriers better understand the challenges facing cargo MC drivers (e.g., unsafe driving practices) and help them ensure the safety of cargo MC drivers in urban areas 2.4 Perceived environment The physical environment has been shown to markedly affect risky driving The presence or absence of major roads and large road crossings may cause the traffic problems and increase the risk of crashes (Barua et al., 2014; Guo et al, 2017;) In a survey of light freight vehicles and short-haul drivers in Australia, Friswell and Williamson (2010) reported that the majority of drivers were more likely to be involved in crashes when driving in very heavy traffic or under poor road conditions Barua et al (2014) reported that the risk of crashes was positively associated with the number of intersections and crosswalks without signals The prevalence of crashes was also significantly associated with intersection geography, the number of turning movements, and signal phases (Guo et al., 2010) However, little is known about the impact of the physical environment on drivers’ perceptions when they drive, and how these perceptions influence the way they drive Driver’s perception of danger, the likelihood of crashes, the quality of the road infrastructure, and other characteristics of the physical environment are all considered to influence driving risk and, therefore, the safety of driving Literature review on traffic crashes This study explores the risk of crashes involving cargo motorcycles involved in urban freight transport Specifically, we focused on the personal behaviors and work conditions that affect the incidence of road crashes involving cargo MC drivers Here, we present an overview of literature that focuses on the road safety of urban freight and how this is affected by personal behaviors Safety studies have conventionally assessed the impact behavioral factors on road crashes by dividing such behaviors into the following four categories: demographic characteristics, driving behavior, work conditions, and perceived environment 2.5 Conclusions of the literature review Overall, the literature review revealed that the majority of studies conducted to date have examined the underlying reasons for crashes in the urban freight transport sector However, many of these studies focused on the reasons for crashes involving truck drivers, and little attention has been paid to the safety of cargo MC drivers Vietnam is characterized by having large and diverse motorcycle-using demographic, a relatively basic and largely incomplete motorcycle traffic infrastructure, and an unsafe driving environment Research on traffic safety as it relates to cargo MCs in Vietnam will facilitate comparisons with countries that have a fewer cargo MC crashes In addition, the findings might promote the development of quantitative measures that can be applied to strategies and policies for improving the safety of cargo MC drivers 2.1 Demographic characteristics Demographic characteristics relate to all personal factors, e.g., sociodemographics, driving ability, and availability of mobility resources Socio-demographics of cargo MC drivers have been investigated extensively in previous studies A previous study reported that males are more likely to experience nonfatal injures in the cargo transportation sector (McDonald et al., 2019) Young and inexperienced workers were more likely to be involved in crashes (Shope and Bingham, 2002, Fisher et al., 2002) 2.2 Driving behavior Background Numerous studies have confirmed that driving behavior plays a role in the incidence of crashes by drivers (Bazargan-Hejazi et al., 2013; Bui et al., 2020; Hassanzahed et al., 2020) For example, drinking while driving was strongly associated with risky driving behavior (Faried et al., 2017; Ngoc et al., 2012; Nguyen et al., 2013; Vu et al., 2020) In addition, smoking and mobile phone use while driving were also reported to affect the incidence of crashes (La et al., 2013; Nguyen et al., 2020; Truong et al., 2018) Mangiaracina and Palumbo (2007) and Merrill (2019) reported that drivers were more distracted by smoking while driving, and that smoking constitutes a considerable risk to road safety At a more general level, Shope and Bingham (2002) reported that the use of mobile phones or electronic devices, as well as eating, drinking, smoking or interacting with others, all contributed significantly to distracting drivers; as a result, drivers were more likely to be involved in traffic crashes Urban cargo vehicles in Vietnam can be classified into five categories: mid-sized trucks (7.5–16 tons), small trucks (3.5–7.5 tons), light commercial vehicles (