8 lakh killed in road accidents across India over past 5 yrs

Between 2019 and 2023, India recorded nearly 8 lakh road crash deaths, with pedestrians accounting for 1.5 lakh or 20 percent of the fatalities, according to new data.

The India Status Report on Road Safety, released by the Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Centre and IIT-Delhi, highlights low compliance by states in providing footpaths, despite the constitutional right under Article 21 guaranteeing pedestrian access.

An audit, ordered by a Supreme Court panel and conducted in 24 states, found footpath availability



on roads ranging from 19 percent to 73 percent, with Maharashtra leading in coverage.

The audit, which covered four cities in each state, assessed whether footpaths met the Indian Road Congress (IRC) norms on availability, width, and height. In Union Territories like Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry, just 3 percent and 5 percent of roads had footpaths respectively.

In Bihar and Haryana, only 19 percent to 20 percent of roads included them. Even where footpaths existed, most did not comply with IRC specifications, the report added.