The death toll, at the end of 2017, stood at 3,597, which means around 10 people died every day just because of bad roads and potholes
Deaths due to poor-quality roads and potholes rose 50 percent in number in 2017, compared to the previous year, according to a report by The Times of India.
The death toll, at the end of 2017, stood at 3,597, which means around 10 people died every day just because of bad roads and potholes.
Among states, Uttar Pradesh was saw the highest increase in 'pothole deaths'. As many as 987 people in the state died in 2017 due to potholes on roads, compared to 714 in 2016.
Other states like Maharashtra, Haryana and Gujarat too witnessed a rise in the total number of fatalities due to bad state of roads and potholes.
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While the death toll in Maharashtra doubled from 329 in 2016 to 726 in 2017, Haryana recorded 522 deaths during the year, up from 228 in 2016.
In Delhi, eight deaths were recorded last year due to pothole-related accidents, up from none in the year before.
Measures to improve road safety
While road safety experts are of the opinion that negligent officers should be booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder under the Indian Penal Code, Union road ministry officials said that the provision of fine against such officials has already been made in the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill.
However, the Bill has been stuck in Parliament. Chairman of International Road Federation, KK Kapila has said that that the amendments in the law will pave the way for safer roads.
Road safety remains a casualty in India
In India, more people die in road accidents than in terrorist activities. In 2017, terrorist activities, including Naxal attacks, claimed 803 lives, which is a lot lower than the death toll due to pothole-related accidents.