Pothole-related road crashes claimed 9,438 lives across India between 2020 and 2024, a 53 % rise over five years, with Uttar Pradesh alone accounting for over 5,100 deaths, the government informed Parliament.
Data tabled by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) shows that pothole-linked fatalities climbed steadily from 1,555 in 2020 to 2,385 in 2024, despite a slight dip during the Covid-19 year of 2021, reflecting a persistent escalation in road danger.
In its written reply to Parliament, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari highlighted that Uttar Pradesh accounted for 5,127 of the total deaths more than half the national toll with 1,369 fatalities in 2024 alone.
Other states also reported troubling figures: Madhya Pradesh (969 deaths), Tamil Nadu (612 deaths) and Punjab (414 deaths) contributed substantial shares, while some states including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Goa recorded no pothole-related deaths, raising questions about reporting consistency.
Nationally, there were 23,056 pothole-related accidents and 19,956 injuries in the same period, underlining a broader trend of infrastructure-linked harm.
Experts Warn of Structural Gaps and Policy Failures
Despite rising revenues from tolls and large infrastructure expenditures, data show safety has not kept pace. A recent report from Madhya Pradesh found that pothole fatalities on state highways tripled even as toll collections doubled, highlighting a paradox of investment without tangible safety outcomes.
Road safety advocates point to fragmented maintenance systems and weak accountability. “Lives are being lost not because potholes are impossible to fix, but because repair protocols, monitoring and enforcement remain inadequate,” said a senior civil engineer involved in road audits. Experts emphasise that timely resurfacing, drainage management and effective contractor oversight are essential to prevent water-logged patches and cracking surfaces that turn into lethal hazards.
In North India, a Tribune report noted that 743 lives were lost regionally between 2020 and 2024 due to potholes, with Punjab alone recording 414 fatalities, underscoring how even local and rural stretches contribute to the national toll.
Government and Parliament React: Pressure for Reform
During the Lok Sabha session, Minister Gadkari reiterated that while the Centre is responsible for national highways, state governments must maintain state and urban roads. He said mechanisms are being strengthened to ensure highways are repaired through accountable maintenance agencies and that measures are being taken in coordination with states and union territories.
Amid this backdrop, Sanjay Singh, a Member of Parliament, has given a Zero Hour notice in the Rajya Sabha urging a comprehensive debate on stronger national road safety laws, including maintenance standards and enforcement mechanisms signalling rising political will to address chronic hazards.
Experts have also pointed to ongoing high-profile court actions; for example, the Bombay High Court has ordered civic bodies to compensate victims of pothole-related deaths and injuries, holding municipal agencies accountable for hazardous road conditions.
The Logical Indian Perspective
The grim figures emerging from government data — showing a persistent upward trend in preventable deaths due to potholes — reflect structural neglect that goes beyond engineering difficulties. When safe infrastructure fails, it is ordinary citizens who pay the ultimate price: workers, students, families and daily commuters whose journeys should be routine, not life-threatening.
While governments speak of budgets and maintenance cycles, the lived reality on our roads tells a different story. Effective road safety must combine engineering excellence, prompt detection and repair, transparent accountability and community-level reporting systems that empower citizens rather than disenfranchise them.
As we confront these stark statistics, it’s time to broaden the conversation beyond abstract targets to concrete action — systematic audits, independent performance reviews of contractors, clear timelines for repair, and transparent public dashboards tracking danger zones and fixes. Safe roads are a basic public good; citizens, administrators, engineers and policymakers must insist on solutions that prioritise human life over revenue figures or project completions.
