Shocking! Potholes Killed More Than 11,000 People In Four Years In India

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11,386 people have died due to road accidents caused by potholes during 2013-16; Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 3,428 deaths

India is one of the countries with a large number of deaths due to road accidents every year. A large number of road accidents happen due to the bad road conditions. Data revealed by union road transport and highways ministry shows 11,386 people have died across the country during 2013-16 period due to the road accidents caused by potholes. This marks 7 people died across the country everyday due to potholes.

Uttar Pradesh tops the list with maximum number of death. In these four years, 3,428 people have died in UP, while Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are at second and third position with 1,410 and 1,244 deaths respectively. The states in the first list of first ten are West Bengal (783), Bihar (659), Gujarat (597), Andhra Pradesh (497), Tamil Nadu (481), Rajasthan (440) and Punjab (367).

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In 2013, pothole driven fatalities in India were 2,607 and it increased in 2014 to 3,039. The next year saw rise in death toll as 3,416 people died due to potholes on roads. In 2016 the situation was slightly improved as 2,324 deaths were recorded. However, the actual number of deaths due to potholes could be much higher as several cases remain unregistered.

The potholes are generally caused by several factors. The factors like inferior quality of construction material, poor maintenance, heavy rains, water logging and heavy vehicular activity are known for damaging roads and creating potholes. In case of deaths due to road accidents caused by potholes, government agencies are liable to pay compensation to the victim’s family.

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While the above mentioned factors have been responsible for creating damages to the roads and potholes across the country, repeated and non regulated digging too are responsible behind such faulty roads. In most of the cases, police don’t register cases as related to potholes. Also, many state governments don’t classify the causes of road accidents in scientific ways.