Drivers and couriers for companies like Uber and Amazon may be at a higher risk of crashing because of the demands of gig economy work, a new study suggests.

Researchers from University College London (UCL) found that 42% of drivers who picked up work through apps had damaged their vehicle in a collision at work. Nearly half (47%) admitted breaking the speed limit because of “time pressure” in their job.

The study drew on survey responses from 200 gig economy drivers or riders, including couriers who deliver food or parcels and taxi drivers, along with 48 in-depth interviews. One in 10 respondents said someone had been injured as a result of their crash at work.

An anonymous participant told researchers: “You must stay within your time windows. The customer gets a delivery window when the parcel will be delivered and if you go out of those windows, you get fined for it.”

Uber drivers accept bookings through their smartphones, which set the route to the destination, while couriers for Amazon Flex have their deliveries set on an app.

The UCL study said that apps were a distraction for about 40% of gig economy workers when they were behind the wheel, the study found, while 30% admitted having jumped a red light. Two-thirds of drivers (67%) said their company did not suggest rest breaks or give advice about phone use while driving.

Most respondents (63%) reported that they had not received safety training on managing the risks of the road, the report found.

The report author, Heather Ward, said: “Our findings highlight that the emergence and rise in the popularity of gig work for couriers could lead to an increase in risk factors affecting the health and safety of people who work in the gig economy and other road users.

“As more workers enter the economy and competition rises, the number of hours they need to work and distances they must travel to earn a stable income both increase.”

It is unclear how many drivers work in the gig economy, but Uber has previously confirmed it has roughly 40,000 drivers in London alone.

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Both Uber and Amazon were contacted for comment. After publication, an Amazon spokesman provided this written statement: “Amazon was not named in the University College London report and the allegations don’t match the realities of delivering through Amazon Flex. Drivers earn between £12 and £15 per hour, there are no fines for drivers and participants are encouraged to drive safely and responsibly—we take the drivers’ safety seriously. Each driver is provided a route that corresponds to the block of time for which they are delivering and the vast majority of the blocks are completed within or in less than the estimated time.”

The report recommended safety improvements including a pay rate based on time worked and not in relation to the number of passengers or packages. Such a move would help “depressurise the work”, the study said.

Mick Rix, a national officer at the GMB union, said: “The damning conclusions of this report back up what GMB has been saying for years: gig economy employers, particularly courier companies, are exposing delivery drivers, riders, and the general public to unacceptable risks to their health and safety.

“GMB calls on the government to bring forward legislation to enhance driver and public safety – the same laws which exist for those working in the more traditional employment models.”

• This article was amended on 21 August 2018 to include Amazon’s statement and to clarify that the UCL study did not make findings about specific named companies. It surveyed drivers and couriers who use smartphones and apps, as do those who work for companies like Uber and Amazon.