In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court has held that a car driver,who applies sudden brakes on a highway without any warning, can be held negligent in the event of a road accident.A bench comprising Justices Suddhanshu Dhulia and Aravind Kumar on Tuesday observed that a driver’s abrupt halt in the middle of a highway, even if triggered by a personal emergency, cannot be justified if it endangers other road users.
“On a highway, high speed of vehicles is expected and if a driver intends to stop his vehicle, he has a responsibility to give a warning or signal to other vehicles moving behind on the road,” Justice Dhulia, who wrote the judgement for the bench, said.
The verdict came on a plea of S Mohammed Hakim, an engineering student whose left leg had to be amputated after a road accident in Coimbatore on January 7, 2017.
The incident occurred when Hakim’s motorcycle collided with the rear of a car that had come to an unexpected stop.
As a result, Hakim fell onto the road and was run over by a bus approaching from behind.
The car driver had claimed that he applied brakes suddenly because his pregnant wife experienced a vomiting sensation