No more ‘corridors of peril’: Supreme Court rolls out strict highway safety norms, bans illegal parking, encroachments

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has issued sweeping pan-India directions to improve road safety, including a ban on parking of heavy and commercial vehicles on national highways, warning that expressways must not turn into “corridors of peril” due to administrative lapses or infrastructure gaps.A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and Atul S Chandurkar noted that national highways make up just 2% of India’s road network but account for nearly 30% of road fatalities. The court stressed that even a single avoidable death reflects a failure of the State.“The loss of even a single life to avoidable hazards like illegal parking or blackspots etc., represents a failure of the State's protective umbrella,” the court said in its order of April 13, linking road safety directly to the Right to Life under Article 21."The 'Right to Life' enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution of India is not merely a guarantee against the unlawful taking of life, but a positive mandate upon the State to ensure a safe environment where human life is preserved and valued", the court added.The court directed that no heavy or commercial vehicle shall stop or park on any national highway carriageway or paved shoulder except at designated bays or lay-bys. Enforcement will be carried out through Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS), GPS-based photographic evidence, and eChallan mechanisms.Authorities, including the ministry of road transport and highways, National Highways Authority of India, state police and transport departments have been asked to ensure compliance within 60 days. District magistrates will set up standard operating procedures for inspections and patrolling.In a major step, the court ordered an immediate ban on construction or operation of new dhabas or commercial structures within highway right of way. Existing unauthorised structures must be removed within 60 days.It also directed that no licence or approval be granted for establishments within highway safety zones without clearance from NHAI or PWD, and all existing licences must be reviewed within 30 days.The bench mandated the creation of district-level highway safety task forces within 15 days, comprising officials from administration, police, NHAI and local bodies. It also called for improved surveillance, lighting of accident-prone “blackspots”, and development of truck lay-bys and emergency systems. The directions came in a suo motu case following accidents in Rajasthan and Telangana in November 2025 that killed 34 people, highlighting systemic negligence. The court has asked the Centre to file a compliance report within 75 days and posted the matter for further hearing after two months.