The link between pothole-ridden roads and back pain is well established, but are there any particularly bad stretches that pose a health hazard to motorists?
One hospital hopes to identify such areas through their patients. With the rise in the number of pothole-related accidents, the hospital which specialises in orthopaedics, arthritis, trauma and other related fields has decided to map the accident spots where their patients sustained injuries.
Ajith Benedict Rayan, Medical Director and Vice President of HOSMAT Multispecialty Hospital, said that they have observed a rise in the number of motorists, especially those riding two-wheelers, who were victims of accidents caused due to potholes. “The number of pothole-related cases has been on the rise since May. Some slip and fall when they ride over potholes that are covered with water during rains while others fall when they try to avoid these craters,” said Dr. Ryan.
By the last week of October, the hospital was treating at least four patients every day. “The number has come down in November after the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) set a deadline to fill all the potholes in the city. At present, we get around four pothole-related accident cases a week,” he added.
Most motorists sustain fractures in the hand, arm or knee while others develop back and spinal problems. The hospital has observed that many of the accidents take place in K.R. Puram, Ballari Road, Frazer Town, Wilson Garden, Koramangala, Indiranagar, Ulsoor, Majestic, Shivajinagar, Hosur Road and Bannerghatta Road. Once the exercise is complete, the management will present the data to the BBMP.
The move to map accident-prone areas has been welcomed by commuters. Shailaja S., a software engineer, said it would be a great initiative and spread awareness among motorists. She urged the hospital to ensure that this map is made public for the benefit of commuters.
The civic body had set a deadline of November 10 to free roads in the city of potholes, but the menace is yet to be eliminated. The BBMP had directed its engineers to geotag photos of potholes, both before and after they are filled, to ensure greater transparency.
According to data provided by BBMP on November 10, out of the 10,656 potholes identified between October 1 and November 10, only 742 remained to be filled.
