As food couriers rush, danger lurks

The boom in online takeout services has led to a sharp rise in road accidents involving food delivery drivers, largely because the couriers break traffic rules to avoid fines for being late, according to data from several major cities.

Authorities in Shanghai, Nanjing and Shenzhen have all released data in recent days showing that being a takeout food courier - with most traveling by electric scooter - has become a hazardous job.

In Shanghai, delivery drivers were responsible for a crash every 2.5 days, on average, during the first six months of this year, according to the traffic management authorities.