VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh on Friday notified an integrated Pedestrian Safety & Universal Accessibility Policy, 2026, making it the first state to bring pedestrian safety, universal accessibility, road-safety audits, statutory accountability and technology-enabled monitoring under a single enforceable framework. The policy comes against the backdrop of India recording 1,72,890 road-accident deaths in 2023, including 35,221 pedestrian fatalities, accounting for 20.4 per cent of all road deaths. The Cabinet has approved the policy, which also bringing together aspects like universal design, scientific road audits and circular-economy principles under the same framework. The policy rests on three pillars — comprehensive road-safety audits; infrastructure, universal accessibility and circular economy; and behavioural change and social participation. The policy also promotes the use of processed construction and demolition waste in specified pedestrian infrastructure, linking road safety with a circular economy.