Do you speed when you dash? A qualitative study of app-based food delivery drivers

This study examines factors that contribute to driver speed choices among app-based food delivery drivers in the United States. Transportation incidents are the leading cause of death at work. Speed is a factor in one-third of fatal crashes. Yet, limited information is available about factors influencing drivers’ decisions to speed in an occupational and app-based driving environment. Three food delivery driver subreddits from the Reddit site were reviewed for posts and comments about driver speed. Eighty-seven posts and 1,970 associated comments were identified. Seventy percent of the posts and comments were from the DoorDash subreddit. Thematic analysis of posts and comments revealed that both work and non-work-related factors were at play in drivers’ decisions to speed. Within the work domain, the desire to achieve high on-time delivery rates and please customers who gave large tips influenced some drivers’ speed decisions. However, ongoing driver record checks, company monitoring of driver speed, and payment by elements of time rather than per delivery influenced some drivers to not speed. Within the non-work domain, some drivers considered speeding to be acceptable, while other drivers found that the potential consequences of speeding were not worth the risk. These findings shed light on opportunities for food delivery companies to adjust their practices and potentially reduce pressures on drivers to speed. Potential modifications include reducing consequences of late deliveries and providing tip information following delivery completion.