New Delhi, Aug. 7 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended the mandatory third-party motor insurance coverage of new vehicles by one year. This means new cars will now be required to have four years of coverage, while two-wheelers will need six years of coverage at the time of purchase or registration.

The ruling was made while observing that, despite the statutory mandate, a "shocking" number of vehicles continued to ply on Indian roads without valid third-party insurance, according to media reports.

This, the court said, often forces accident victims and their families to "run from pillar to post" in order to secure compensation.

Until now, buyers of new vehicles were required to obtain three-year third-party insurance for cars and f...