is just fine with the food delivery platforms themselves, who don’t want authorities interfering in their operations with nettlesome enforcement of things as silly as road rules. As technology companies whose whole business model depends on rapid, cheap delivery, their occasional chirping about their drivers’ outstanding safety record has always been a great pretence. But now, it seems that the Royal Thai Police, which has for years hardly lifted a finger to make the nation’s deadly roads safer, has decided that enough is finally enough. The word came down from on high: beginning in April, there would be a crackdown on 10 major common road rule violations, and although it broadly targets all motorists, it particularly affects motorcyclists, and, more particularly still, those who ride for food delivery platforms like Grab, Lineman and Shopee Food. The fact that enforcement of rules is being spruiked begs the question of why they weren’t enforced before, but this is Thailand, where bunkered bureaucrats are expert at coming up with regulations that either no one bothers to uphold, or no one knows how to, even if they wanted to. The results of this neglect of enforcement of road rules have resulted in one of the worst – if not the worst – motorcycle traffic accident death rates in the world, and food delivery drivers are right up there in the thick of it. According to some sources, roughly 50 road deaths every day in Thailand involve motorcyclists. It isn’t known exactly how many of these, or how many non-fatal accidents, involve food delivery drivers, because the authorities don’t keep statistics, but surveys of drivers themselves indicate ridiculously high accident rates and self-reported rule violations. One 2024 study found a 35 per cent accident rate among food delivery drivers in Bangkok. Another survey found that 85 per cent of drivers engaged in at least one ‘risky’ driving behaviour. A third study in the northern province of Chiang Mai found that 84 per cent of riders admitted to engaging in at least one out of 13 risky behaviours, and 6 per cent engaged in nearly all of them. Thailand may be the worst case, but it is not alone: competition in these dismal statistics from neighbouring countries like Malaysia and Cambodia is formidable, and indeed it is a region-wide problem. Now though, according to the latest edicts, food delivery drivers, most of whom are on motorcycles, will be fined for all their two-wheeled sins that have previously gone unpunished, like running red lights, speeding, riding on footpaths, riding against the direction of traffic, using a mobile phone while driving, and the catch-all “driving without regard for safety”, which will now fetch a fine of up to US$650 and imprisonment for up to one year. On top of that, new regulations for app-employed drivers require them to hold driving licences, register their vehicles, and pass employer checks. Delivery platforms must suspend drivers who don’t comply. The delivery apps are part of the problem So far, there has been little evidence that the new, stricter approach to enforcement is doing anything, at least in the sense of changing rider behaviour, which is being guided by the technology that the apps use to route and schedule drivers. The technologies emphasise speed and efficiency, not safety. Ironically, the use of a phone while driving is so common among food delivery drivers because they rely on their own platform’s app to navigate and manage orders. This is itself a primary cause of accidents, as their attention is divided. In Southeast Asia, even a momentary distraction can have deadly consequences due to the unpredictability of surrounding traffic. Crackdown on migrant delivery personnel While they are at it, the Thai government is also cracking down on the use of illegal migrant labour for food delivery. This forms part of a broader campaign to scrutinise so-called ‘nominee’ businesses, in which a foreign entity uses a Thai proxy as a director or majority shareholder to get around restrictions on foreign ownership. E-commerce and tourism-related industries, such as hospitality, food and beverage, and entertainment, are under increased scrutiny. China and India toughen regulations Meanwhile, regulators in China are going after Meituan, Taobao Shangou and JD.com because of food safety concerns. Major delivery platforms like Meituan and Ele.me are also required to strengthen safety protocols to prevent overstressed drivers from getting into accidents. Food delivery is not the sole source of the problem in China. Half of Walmart’s sales in China are made online, and about one-third of deliveries are now made in under three hours. Walmart’s local delivery partner is Meituan, whose drivers are overwhelmingly on motorcycles and often promise delivery within 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in India, after a nationwide strike over dangerous working conditions, the government has asked quick-commerce platforms like Zomato, Blinkit and Zepto to stop promising delivery within 10 minutes. Customer expectations remain a barrier Crackdowns such as those being instigated in Thailand, China and India will not please some customers, who have become conditioned to rapid delivery times and are quick to complain when expectations are not met. The principal customer-facing alert provided by apps during the wait time is how fast the delivery will be made. When deliveries are made faster than expected, which often occurs because of driver haste, apps like Grab are self-congratulatory in their messaging. Surveys of riders indicate they are also fearful of customer backlash if they fail to deliver on time. Whether or not customers or the apps themselves like it, moves by governments across the region to curb dangerous food delivery behaviours are long overdue. But the nagging question remains: will it really make a difference, or is it all just a great pretend? Further reading: Taken for a ride: Drivers bear hidden costs of online delivery