Road safety isn’t just a public health issue — it’s a gigworker’s daily reality. And can electric vehicles be safer for them?
In this episode of The EV Equation, I’m interviewingAriana Childs Graham, director of road safety at Global Health Advocacy incubator (GHAI). We talk about road safety policies governing the lives of app-based motorbike delivery workers across the Global South. Spending over 60 hours a week on the road, these workers face a high risk of crashes — often with little protection, insurance, or recourse.
We explore key questions:
– How do city infrastructure and policy shape accident rates?
– What role do platform incentives and penalties play?
– Are electric vehicles improving or worsening safety outcomes?
Motorcycle-related fatalities now account for one-third ofglobal road deaths. In places like Indonesia, motorcycles are involved in more than 80% of road fatalities. In Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Vietnam, motorcycles make up over 75% of the motorized fleet. Since 2011, global motorcycle use has surged by 175%, and with that growth, the risks have multiplied.
To address this growing public health issue, Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) launched The Motorcycle Safety Imperative: An Action Agenda to Address a Growing Public Health and Safety Crisis
The GHAI Road Safety Program is working alongside civil society advocates in Bangladesh, China, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Mexico, Uganda, Ukraine, and Vietnam to raise awareness about the changing road safety landscape and urging the adoption of sustainable policy solutions to address the rise in motorcycle-related deaths and injuries.
