New Delhi, June 20 -- The Supreme Court's landmark order on Friday declaring the right to walk on a demarcated footpath a fundamental right has been welcomed by road safety experts who stressed on the need for stronger enforcement and accountability amid a steady rise in pedestrian deaths across the country. "The effectiveness of this important judgement lies in framing appropriate statutory framework at local, state and national level. This also gives an opportunity to make adoption of Indian Road Congress (IRC) standards for pedestrians mandatory," said Geetam Tiwari of the Transportation Research and Injury Prevention (TRIP) Centre and professor at IIT Delhi. According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways' (MoRTH) 2024 road crash data, pedestrians accounted for 36,526 fatalities, making them the second most vulnerable category of road users after two-wheeler riders. Persons on foot accounted for 20.6% of all road crash deaths, while two-wheeler riders accounted for 46.2% across India. Pedestrian deaths increased 3.7% from 35,221 in 2023, and the figure was 12,330 in 2014 - a staggering deterioration in road safety for those on foot. The risk for pedestrians was higher in the 50 cities with million-plus population - they accounted for 25.2% of all accident fatalities. Those in 45-60 years (8,436 deaths) were at the highest risk, followed closely by the 35-45 age group (7,636 deaths) and the 25-35 age group (7,281 deaths)....