Potholes are a constant and frustrating reality on roads across India. Whether you’re navigating a busy city street or a quiet rural stretch, chances are you’ve had to dodge or bump over one of these road hazards. Data indicates that while accidents on Potholed roads reduced between 2013 and 2022, the fatality rate increased from 0.27 in 2013 to 0.42 in 2022.
Potholes are a constant and frustrating reality on roads across India. Whether you’re navigating a busy city street or a quiet rural stretch, chances are you’ve had to dodge or bump over one of these road hazards. They not only slow down traffic and damage vehicles but also pose a serious risk to everyone on the road, be it drivers, passengers, or pedestrians alike. Accidents caused by potholes occur far too frequently, often resulting in injuries or worse. What’s most troubling is how suddenly these incidents happen, with drivers losing control, swerving unexpectedly, or hitting a pothole head-on in just a split second. Despite being such a widespread and dangerous issue, potholes remain largely overlooked in many parts of the country. In this story, we take a closer look at the gravity of the problem using data reported by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
The data for the story has been taken from the collection, ‘Road Accidents: Number of Incidents, Persons Injured and Killed by State, Types of Vehicles and Multiple Other Categories’ on Dataful.
Between 2013 and 2022, India recorded a fluctuating but consistently alarming trend in road accidents caused by potholes. The peak occurred in 2014, with 11,106 accidents and 3,039 deaths, closely followed by 2015, which saw 10,876 accidents and the highest death toll of the decade at 3,416. These two years stand out as the most dangerous, highlighting a period of acute infrastructural challenges.
At least 19 accidents and 6 deaths due to potholes were reported daily in the last decade
From 2013 to 2022, pothole-related accidents fluctuated significantly. Accidents peaked in 2014 at 11,106, before decreasing to 6,424 in 2016, representing a 41% drop. Afterwards, there was another increase in 2017 to 9,423, followed by a sharp decline in 2018 to 4,869. In 2020, a significant drop occurred to 3,564, likely influenced by pandemic-related restrictions, but by 2022, the number rose again to 4,446.
Fatalities also followed a similar pattern. The number of fatalities increased sharply from 2,607 in 2013 to 3,039 in 2014 and continued rising to 3,416 in 2015. A notable drop occurred in 2016 to 2,324, reflecting a reduction in both accidents and fatalities. However, fatalities increased again in 2017 to 3,597 and decreased to 2,015 in 2018. The pandemic years saw fatalities decrease to 1,471 in 2020 and 1,481 in 2021, respectively, before rising to 1,856 in 2022.
On average, 6,880 accidents and 2,342 fatalities due to potholes were reported each year. If we consider the fatality rate, calculated as the ratio of fatalities to accidents, it has increased consistently over the years, from 0.27 in 2013 to 0.42 in 2022. The increase in the fatality rate suggests that while fewer accidents occurred in recent years, the accidents that did take place were more severe, resulting in fatal outcomes. In simpler terms, accidents due to potholes have become more severe over time.
State-wise trends in pothole-related road accidents reveal regional disparities
The state-wise trends in pothole-related road accidents from 2013 to 2022 reveal stark regional disparities across India. In southern and western states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, the data indicates a decline in the number of accidents due to potholes. For instance, Tamil Nadu, despite recording high accident figures in the early years, peaking at over 1,600 accidents in 2014, managed to bring these numbers down to below 500 in recent years. Gujarat has managed to keep it below 10 in the last few years. Bihar, which recorded large numbers in the first half of the decade, suddenly started reporting zero in the last five years.
On the other hand, states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh show consistently high figures throughout the decade. Uttar Pradesh reported a staggering number of accidents year after year. It touched 1,986 cases in 2022, matching its previous peak in 2017. Similarly, Madhya Pradesh recorded over 2,800 cases annually during the initial years, followed by a sharp dip, but recent years have again seen a surge in cases. Assam also witnessed a rise in accidents.
Northeastern and smaller states, including Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim, show low numbers. This may also be due to underreporting or lower vehicular density rather than exemplary road conditions. Similarly, states with hilly terrain or extreme weather conditions like Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Uttarakhand reported lower figures.
Uttar Pradesh alone accounted for 50% of the pothole related fatalities in the last five years
Similar trends are also visible in the cases of fatalities due to potholes. States like Gujarat, Kerala, West Bengal, and Maharashtra are reporting significantly fewer fatalities in recent years. Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh, where the average number of pothole-related fatalities per year exceeds 100, there was a noticeable decline in fatalities during the middle of the decade. However, in recent years, the fatalities increased in both these states, crossing the 100-mark.
Uttar Pradesh consistently recorded the highest number of pothole-related fatalities in the country over the past decade. The state was responsible for 50% of the fatalities in the last five years. In 2022 alone, the state accounted for 1,030 out of the 1,856 total deaths nationwide, contributing to more than 55% of the national toll. This figure in 2022 is much higher than the total fatalities reported by states like Jharkhand, Karnataka, and Haryana during the entire decade.
Haryana, which recorded fewer than 10 fatalities until 2017, saw a sharp spike in pothole-related fatalities in 2017 with 522 deaths, about 15% of the national total that year. Even though the numbers declined since then, they have remained well above pre-2017 levels.
The fatality rate has been consistently higher than the national average in states like West Bengal, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand. In contrast, states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh have maintained lower fatality rates.
Lack of Accurate Data Reporting is a Concern
The accuracy of the data reported by states is a cause for concern. For instance, Bihar hasn’t reported a single accident because of a potholed road from 2019 to 2022. It is quite unbelievable since the total number of road accidents in Bihar in fact increased between 2020 and 2022. So, it is logical to assume that there would be an accident because of potholed roads. Similar concerns exist for other states. As long as categorisation & reporting remain poor, there would be doubts over the utility of such data.
Despite the issues with accurate reporting, what the data reveals is that potholes remain a serious and often overlooked threat to road safety in India. Despite some states showing progress, the national picture is grim.
