Accidents due to potholes killed 64 people in state in 2018

PUNJAB HAS RANKED SECOND IN THE COUNTRY IN THE SEVERITY OF ROAD ACCIDENTS; WITH 4,740 DEATHS IN 6,428 MISHAPS, STATE HAD A FATALITY RATE OF 73.7

CHANDIGARH: Potholes caused the deaths of 64 persons in Punjab in 2018, as per the latest report released by the ministry of road transport and highways on Tuesday.

A total of 2015 persons were killed in total 4,869 accidents due to potholes on the roads across the country. About 3.17% of these deaths were in 109 accidents in Punjab in which another 94 persons sustained injuries, 61 of them grievous ones.

The maximum number of pothole-related accidents and deaths were in Uttar Pradesh where 1,043 persons were killed in 2,015 road mishaps followed by Haryana with 222 deaths in 473 accidents. In neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, 18 persons were killed and 27 injured in 21 such accidents. In Punjab, another 262 persons were killed in 367 accidents owing to ongoing road works. Another 228 persons were sustained injuries, almost half of them grievous ones, in these mishaps.

2ND IN SEVERITY OF ROAD ACCIDENTS

Punjab has ranked second in the country in the severity of road accidents (in simpler words, number of persons killed in 100 accidents). With 4,740 deaths in 6,428 mishaps, the state had a fatality rate of 73.7 against the national average of 32.4 in severity of accidents in the year gone by.

The severity of road accidents has been seen an increase in 2018 over 71.1 in 2017. Mizoram reported the highest accident severity of 84.9 and Uttarakhand being the third. In 2016, Ludhiana and Amritsar were at number one and two positions in severity of accidents among the ‘million plus population’ cities with fatality rate of 69.9 and 67.1, respectively.

35% JUMP IN DEATHS IN FOUR YEARS

The number of deaths and road mishaps on national highways (NHS) in the state has gone up by about a third in the four years.

A total of 2,085 persons were killed in road accidents on such roads in 2018 up by 35.56% from 1,538 deaths in 2015.

Similarly, the number of accidents on NHS has also jumped by 34%, going to 2,871 last year from 2,092 in 2014.