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How does financial burden influence the crash rate among taxi drivers? A self-reported questionnaire study in China

Abstract Objective: Taxis play an important role in the transportation system of China, but they have a relatively high accident rate. The current study discusses the driver’s financial burden in the Chinese context and explores its correlation with working conditions, risky driving behavior, and other characteristics of taxi drivers who are involved in accidents. Method: A total of 2,391 taxi drivers from 29 companies in four Chinese cities were interviewed and then asked to complete a questionnaire concerning their socio-demographic characteristics, working conditions, risky driving behavior, and accident frequency during the previous two years. Given the increase in the management fee (measured in CNY) charged by taxi companies, the drivers were divided into three groups: the “less than 150” group, the” 150 to 180” group and the “over 180” group, where were named Group 1, Group 2 and Group 3, respectively. Finally, the zero-inflated Poisson model was used to investigate the factors that contributed to the accident rate for each group. Result: The significant factors that lead to accidents differed significantly for drivers with different levels of financial burden. First, most of the factors were weakly correlated with the crash rate among Group 1 drivers. Second, many factors related to working conditions and risky driving behavior were significant for drivers in Groups 2 and 3, while working hours and off-duty days were significant only for drivers in Group 3. Third, working hours were negatively correlated with accident rates for drivers in Group 3, and the drivers who suffered from the heaviest financial burden were most affected by fatigue and sleep problems. Conclusion: Financial burden is the root cause behind the propensity of taxi drivers to be involved in accidents. Taxi companies should find ways to reduce drivers’ expenses, and new technologies, such as taxi-calling or location and navigation based on mobile applications, should be introduced into the traditional taxi industry.