Expressways should not become corridors of peril due to administrative lethargy and infrastructural gaps : Supreme Court

Highway accident death rate reaches 30 percent

New Delhi – The Supreme Court has recently issued nationwide guidelines for road safety. The Court has issued notices to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), States and Union Territories. The Court said that expressways should not become corridors of peril due to administrative lethargy and infrastructural gaps. 34 people died in accidents in Phalodi in Rajasthan on November 2^nd last year and in Rangareddy District of Telangana on November 3^rd. The Supreme Court is currently hearing a suo motu writ petition in this regard.

🚨 Highways Turned Into Death Traps: Supreme Court Slams Administrative Failure! 🚨

“Highways must not become death traps due to administrative apathy!” – Supreme Court of India 🇮🇳⚖️

With highway accident fatalities touching 30%, the SC has made it clear: lives lost due to… https://t.co/7r5tkTSk5G pic.twitter.com/VuEt8Ug8yB

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) April 20, 2026

1. The Court added that while the national highways account for 2 percent of the total road length in the country, the number of deaths in road accidents on them accounts for nearly 30 percent.

2. The Court directed that no heavy or commercial vehicle should be parked on any national highway or its paved service roads. Such vehicles should be parked only at designated stopping places, rest areas or roadside facilities. The Court also said that these directions should be implemented through advanced traffic management systems, simultaneous alerting of State Police, GPS, time-stamped photographic evidence and generation of integrated e-challans.

Collective failure of government institutions

The Supreme Court said that the loss of life due to avoidable causes such as illegal parking or accident prone areas is a collective failure of government institutions. The right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution does not only include protection from life-threatening crimes, but also the responsibility of the government to create a safe environment that protects and values human life.