Most Insurance Claims For Road Accidents Come From Metro Cities; Report Reveals Shocking Reasons Behind These Mishaps

If you think that road accidents are majorly caused by the negligence of drivers and more particularly drunk driving, you need to read this. According to the insurance company ACKO, stray animals, potholes on the roads, and even coconuts falling cause more accidents in India than any other reason. The index is based on the data of 87,223 accident insurance claims out of which 78 per cent came from eight metro cities.

Mayank Gupta, vice president, auto insurance, ACKO General Insurance, says, “While urban infrastructure challenges like potholes and stray animals are significant contributors, many accidents are preventable with focused interventions. By identifying accident-prone locations and underlying causes, this report aims to assist policymakers and city administrators in implementing targeted measures to enhance road safety.”

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The prominent causes of road accidents in India:

Stray Animals

Stray animals stand out as the most common reason for road accidents. As per the data, stray dogs cause 62 per cent of such accidents, cows 29 per cent, and buffaloes 4 per cent. Monkeys and goats cause around 3 per cent and 1 per cent, respectively. 

Potholes On The Roads

Bengaluru tops the list with 44.8 per cent of potholes-related accidents. The city’s roads are in bad condition with deep and numerous potholes causing accidents and traffic jams highlighting the condition and the need to improve it. Delhi comes second in potholes-related accidents with 13.3 per cent, followed by Mumbai with 12.3 per cent of all accidents due to potholes.

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Falling Coconuts: An Unusual Cause

Coconut falling is not even considered a cause of accidents, but surprisingly it causes 2.2 times more accidents than those due to the influence of alcohol.

Cyclone And Natural Calamities

The other prominent cause of accidents is natural calamity. For example, cyclone Michaung in Chennai has caused damage to several vehicles. According to the report, 22 per cent of all claims files in Chennai were somewhere due to the damage caused by flood.

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The Most Road Accident-Prone Cities

The top two cities in road accidents are Hyderabad and Delhi NCR, reveals the report. Further, it indicates the areas which are the most prone to road accidents. It is the Bommanahalli area in Bengaluru, followed by Noida, then the Marunji locality in Pune, and the Mira Road area in Mumbai.

The Most Accident-Prone Cars

The report also studied the most accident-prone cars. Hyundai i10 is the most risk-prone car, as per the report. The other accident-prone cars in the top five are Maruti Suzuki Swift, Baleno, Dzire, and Hyundai i20, in sequence.

The reports highlight the reasons that are not related to driving, yet are causing most accidents, and thus, these issues need to be taken into account to reduce the number of such accidents and injuries. It also emphasises the need for comprehensive insurance for individuals and to have add-ons like ‘engine protection cover’, etc.