Pedestrian fatalities in India are not confined to congested urban centres. Nearly 30% of the more than 1.8 lakh pedestrian deaths recorded between 2019 and 2024 occurred on national highways, according to an analysis of road transport ministry data reported by The Times of India (TOI).The report, based on the ministry's annual "Road Accidents in India" data compiled from state police records, found that cities with populations above 5 million accounted for only about 12-13% of all pedestrian deaths during the six-year period. The remaining fatalities were reported on urban roads outside these cities as well as on state highways, district roads and rural roads.The data shows that more than 30,500 pedestrians were killed on average every year between 2019 and 2024, highlighting the vulnerability of pedestrians as one of the most at-risk groups of road users.According to the 2024 road accident report, 36,526 pedestrians lost their lives during the year. Of these, nearly 54% were killed in collisions involving two-wheelers and cars, accounting for 19,680 deaths. Road safety experts told TOI that the figures underline the lack of dedicated footpaths and safe crossing infrastructure across the country.Source: TOIThe findings come amid increased judicial focus on pedestrian safety. The Supreme Court recently upheld the right to walk on footpaths as a fundamental right and directed the government to frame legislation ensuring well-demarcated footpaths for all road users. Last year, the court had observed that the "rights of pedestrians to use footpaths are guaranteed under Article 21 of Constitution."State-wise data for 2024 showed that Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of pedestrian deaths at 4,712, followed by Bihar at 4,149, Maharashtra at 3,344 and West Bengal at 3,241. The country's 50 million-plus cities accounted for 4,328 pedestrian deaths, representing 11.8% of all such fatalities during the year."The issue is not the absence of standards but utter failure to implement them on ground. Unfortunately, many city roads are designed almost exclusively for vehicles, forcing pedestrians, including children, senior citizens and persons with disabilities, to walk on the carriageway at considerable risk to their safety. There is a need to extend provisions of pedestrian safety to highways and other roads," Abhay Damle, former joint secretary in the road transport ministry who handled road safety issues, told TOI.Separately, in another matter pending before the Supreme Court, an amicus curiae has suggested that the government install signage for pedestrians on highways and alert road users through signs stating "pedestrians don't enter" or "pedestrians prohibited", according to the TOI report.