Sudden Braking on Highways Can Be Negligence: Supreme Court’s Crucial Ruling on 2017 Road Accident

New Delhi, August 1 (TNA) In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court has stated that sudden braking on highways without warning can be considered negligence. The observation came during the hearing of a 2017 accident case from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, involving engineering student S. Mohammed Hakeem.

On January 7, 2017, Hakeem was riding his bike when a car ahead of him suddenly braked. Unable to stop in time, his bike collided with the car, and he fell onto the road—only to be run over by a bus approaching from behind.

Hakeem suffered severe injuries and later had to undergo amputation of his left leg. The car driver claimed he braked due to his pregnant wife feeling nauseous, but the Court rejected this explanation.

The Supreme Court assigned 50% liability to the car driver, 30% to the bus driver, and 20% to Hakeem, citing his lack of a valid driver’s license and insufficient following distance.

The Court fixed total compensation at ₹1.14 crore but reduced it to ₹91.2 lakh due to Hakeem’s share of negligence. The amount is to be paid by the car and bus insurers within four weeks.