Friday, 27 Feb, 2026
Source: The Indian Express
Road safety activist Rishab Anand, founder of Rise Up in Jharkhand, said the actual number of pothole-related accidents may be higher, as several incidents often go unreported, and attributed such deaths and injuries to poor road engineering and inadequate maintenance.
A total of 9,438 people lost their lives in pothole-related road accidents across India between 2020 and 2024, according to data shared by the Union government in Parliament. The figures indicate a 53 per cent rise in fatalities over five years, with deaths increasing steadily after a brief decline in 2021.
In 2020, which coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, 1,555 deaths were reported. The number dipped slightly to 1,481 in 2021 before rising to 1,856 in 2022. The upward trend continued in 2023 with 2,161 deaths and peaked at 2,385 in 2024. Data for 2025 has not yet been published.
Uttar Pradesh accounted for more than 54 per cent of all pothole-related fatalities during this period, recording 5,127 deaths between 2020 and 2024. In 2024 alone, the state reported 1,369 deaths, more than half of the national total that year. The figures for Uttar Pradesh stood at 1,320 in 2023 and 1,030 in 2022, reflecting a consistent increase.
Madhya Pradesh recorded the second-highest number of deaths, with 969 fatalities over the five-year period, including 277 in 2024. Tamil Nadu reported 612 deaths, Punjab 414, Odisha 425 and Assam 395. Among Union Territories, Delhi registered 50 pothole-related deaths.
At the same time, several states and Union Territories, including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa and Chandigarh, reported no pothole-related accidents, injuries or deaths during the five-year period. The data, compiled from state police reports submitted to the road transport ministry, has raised questions about how such incidents are recorded. An expert involved in crash data investigation said that unless road accidents and their causes are reported objectively, the data may not fully reflect the ground situation. The expert pointed out that smaller states such as Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura reported pothole-related accidents, while larger states with longer road networks showed none.
Nationally, 23,056 pothole-related accidents were reported between 2020 and 2024. These incidents resulted in 19,956 injuries, of which 9,670 were classified as grievous. In 2018, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of a report highlighting these deaths and directed authorities to take immediate action. The court observed that it was widely known that many people had died due to potholes and that agencies responsible for maintaining roads were not adequately performing their duties.
In Madhya Pradesh, toll collection on national highways increased sharply during the same period that pothole-related deaths rose. The state paid Rs 2,178.19 crore in toll in 2020-21, during which 96 deaths were reported due to potholes on national highways. By 2024-25, toll collection had doubled to Rs 4,188.15 crore, while 277 deaths were reported in 2024 alone due to potholes on national highways.
Road safety activist Rishab Anand, founder of Rise Up in Jharkhand, said the actual number of pothole-related accidents may be higher, as several incidents often go unreported, and attributed such deaths and injuries to poor road engineering and inadequate maintenance. Better coordination between departments could help prevent such incidents, as roads are frequently dug up for pipeline repairs or telecom work without proper coordination with local civic bodies. Fixing accountability is also crucial, since officials or agencies are rarely held responsible when fatalities or injuries occur due to poor road conditions.
