When delivering food, navigation instructions, order notifications, messages from restaurants, and calls from customers all come in at the same time. The real risk often isn’t whether your phone is mounted on the bike, but rather when you decide to change your route, reply to a message, or reach out to adjust the screen while you’re riding. By limiting phone use to before you set off and after you’ve parked, you can keep your attention on the road ahead.
Do these three things before you leave, and just follow the prompts along the way.
Before receiving an order and leaving the store, first find a safe place to park and confirm the delivery address, the planned route, and the general direction of the next turn; if you need voice prompts, turn them on at this time. The Ministry of Transportation’s 168 Traffic Safety Portal lists looking down at a phone to check traffic conditions and talking on the phone as behaviors that distract drivers. For delivery riders, this means that while using navigation is not prohibited, you should not wait until you’re in moving traffic to adjust settings, zoom in or out on the map, or search for alternative routes.
If you have a phone mount, make sure your phone is securely fastened and that the screen brightness and volume are high enough to be clearly visible before setting off. Use it only as a navigation tool while riding—don’t look down at the screen just to check a notification. If you can’t hear the voice prompts clearly, the map suggests a new route, or the location seems incorrect, first ride to a safe place to pull over based on current traffic conditions, then double-check; taking an extra block is usually safer than rushing to adjust settings at an intersection.
When you need to check a map or reply to a message, park your car first.
During a delivery, there are often messages you must check—such as pickup reminders from the restaurant, customers providing additional details about the pickup location, or platform notifications about order changes. In these situations, shift your focus to “finding a suitable place to pull over” and do not treat a red light as a break to handle these messages. According to an explanation from the New Taipei City Department of Transportation included in the Ministry of Transportation’s 168 database, a motorcycle waiting at a red light on the road is still considered to be in motion; if you need to check a map or messages, you should find a suitable place to park and turn off the engine completely before using your phone.
When actually making a delivery, follow this simple sequence: first, look ahead; then, choose a safe place to pull over; once you’ve pulled over, check your notifications; confirm your next step, and then set off again. If you can’t respond to a customer’s message right away, make sure to park safely first, then use the platform’s built-in features to reply or update the delivery status. Do not hold your phone, reply to messages, or adjust your navigation while riding; even if it’s just for a few seconds, the traffic ahead, pedestrians, and turning vehicles will not stop for you.
Treat Distractions as Signals to Take a Break
Distractions don’t just come from cell phones. If you’re rushing to meet a deadline and find yourself constantly thinking about the next task, feeling dry eyes, losing focus, or repeatedly missing navigation prompts, these are all signs that you need to stop and regroup. The Ministry of Transportation’s 168 “Say No to Distracted and Fatigued Driving” educational materials list distraction and fatigue as risks that should be avoided. Delivery riders don’t have to push through until they reach their destination: Pull over in a safe spot, drink some water, double-check your route and mental state, and then decide whether to continue. Only then can you ensure that time pressure doesn’t override your judgment.
Navigation and platform notifications are meant to help you complete your order; use them only before you set off or after you’ve parked safely, so that these tools don’t distract you from riding.
Sources and Verification
- Ministry of Transportation 168 Traffic Safety Portal | Which of the following actions is a distracting mistake that drivers should avoid while driving a car or riding a motorcycle?(Date of verification: October 5, 2026)
- Ministry of Transportation 168 Traffic Safety Portal | Is it okay to use your phone while driving or riding a motorcycle through a red light?(Date of verification: October 5, 2026)
- Ministry of Transportation 168 Traffic Safety Portal | Say No to Distracted and Fatigued Driving (Year 114)(Date of verification: October 5, 2026)
