The number of people killed by speedbreakers more than doubled in Karnataka to 2,310 in 2015, while they halved in Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh, which had reported the highest number of such deaths in 2014 at 3,192, saw the figure fall to 1,652 in the subsequent year, data obtained from the road transport ministry revealed.
The data for 2016, collected by state governments, are yet to be compiled at the central level, the ministry said in response to a query.
Though the data did not give district-wise break-up, it is believed that many such deaths take place in Bangalore, India’s ‘speedbreaker capital’.
The city, which sees a large number of new vehicles hit the road every year, is notorious for its high and unscientific road bumps.
Speedbreakers are often constructed by local people, even on National Highways, where their use is illegal.
“They are removed as and when they are brought to the notice of road authorities,” the ministry said.
11,000 DEATHS/YEAR
The central government first began tracking deaths due to speedbreakers in 2014.
According to data compiled from various state governments and released in September 2015, the total number of deaths caused by speedbreaker-related accidents was 11,008 in 2014. By 2015, the number of deaths increased to 11,084, the new numbers from the road ministry showed.
Besides Karntaka, Madhya Pradesh also showed a high number of such deaths, which rose from 1,895 in 2014 to 2,109 in 2015.
Uttar Pradesh reported 1,654 such deaths, while other state in India had a number higher than 1,000.
Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Delhi and Telangana had among the lowest rates.
Delhi, for example, reported only 41 such deaths in 2015 despite having one of India’s largest vehicle populations.
Maharashtra, one of India’s largest states and home to Mumbai — India’s most congested city — reported 576 deaths, a fourth of what neighboring Karnataka reported.
