In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court has declared that abrupt and unannounced braking on highways can constitute negligence, especially when it endangers other motorists. The bench, comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Aravind Kumar, was addressing a tragic 2017 accident in Coimbatore where S Mohammed Hakkim, a 20-year-old engineering student, lost his leg after his motorcycle rammed into a suddenly braking car and he was run over by a bus. The court observed that while high-speed traffic is expected on highways, drivers have a responsibility to signal any intention to stop to avoid catastrophic consequences.

The car driver involved admitted to braking suddenly because his pregnant wife felt nauseous—a justification the court found unreasonable in such high-speed zones. Initially, the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal fixed the compensation at ₹91.62 lakh but later reduced it, attributing partial negligence to Hakkim for not maintaining distance and lacking a valid driving license. The Madras High Court further reduced the payout to ₹58.53 lakh after redistributing the liability across all parties involved.

Re-evaluating the case, the Supreme Court reinstated the compensation at ₹91.3 lakh, assigning 50% liability to the car driver, 30% to the bus driver, and 20% to Hakkim himself. The apex court emphasized that while the victim shared some fault, the root cause of the accident was the car’s sudden stop without warning. The judgment serves as a clear warning to all highway motorists about the dangers and legal consequences of negligent driving behavior.