More than 1.8 lakh pedestrians were killed in road accidents in the country between 2019 and 2024, a report citing government data said.
The data released by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ (MoRTH) 2024 reveals that nearly 54% of pedestrian deaths involved collisions with two-wheelers and cars, claiming 19,680 lives.
The data revealed that pedestrians were the second most vulnerable group of road users after two-wheeler riders, accounting for 36,526 fatalities nationwide. Pedestrians constituted 20.6% of all road crash deaths in India, while two-wheeler riders represented the largest share at 46.2%.
Tamil Nadu tops in pedestrian deaths
According to the report, Tamil Nadu recorded a maximum of 4,712 pedestrian deaths, followed by Bihar with 4,149 deaths, Maharashtra with 3,344 deaths and West Bengal with 3,241 deaths.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Friday held that the right to walk on a demarcated footpath is a fundamental right. This right shall have priority over movement by motorised vehicles, the Supreme Court said.
A bench of justices PS Narasimha and AS Chandurkar held that a citizen's fundamental right to walk on a demarcated footpath is primary and shall have priority over movement by motorised vehicles.
"The right to walk is a fundamental right under Part III of the Constitution. It is integral to the right to movement guaranteed under Article 19(1)(d), read with Article 19(1)(a), Article 19(1) (b), Article 19(1) (c) and Article 21 of the Constitution of India. The fundamental right to walk will take within its sweep the right to demarcated footpaths. These rights are primary and shall have priority over movement by motorised vehicles," the bench ruled.
The Court recognised that despite the primacy of the right to walk, it has been overtaken by movement by motorised vehicles to the extent that walking has now been considered as a nuisance by drivers.