Rider injuries peaked during the second quarter of 2020,with 25 incidents reported to the state’s workplace safety regulator,before declining slightly for six months and increasing again to more than 20 in the first quarter of 2021.
The figures are contained within the state government’s quarterly monitoring report,which is set to be released on Tuesday. Of the six injuries reported to SafeWork NSW in the latest reporting period,four involved motorcycle riders,one involved an electric bike,while one cyclist was hit by a car from behind.
All six people injured were men aged under 36,and four of the incidents occurred on either a Friday or Saturday. Five incidents involved a car,and the sixth was categorised as an assault.
Spending on food delivery apps in Australia has surged by more than 200 per cent since the beginning of the pandemic,according to UberEats. Deliveroo has noted even stronger growth since the beginning of NSW’s most recent lockdown.
While traffic has decreased sharply during the Delta lockdown,Sydney’s roads had returned to pre-COVID levels for most of the relevant reporting period.
Sweeping new laws were announced by the state government earlier this year in a bid to curb the rate of injury in the food delivery industry,and are set to be finalised by the end of the year.
They include companies being required to provide protective equipment to riders,who will also be monitored with unique ID numbers by police. Companies will also have to provide compulsory induction training to their riders.