Reckless motorists in Dubai will face "black points" on their license that will lead to yearlong driving bans for persistent offenders.

The General Department of Traffic at Dubai Police says that the points will be given to drivers for a series of offences, with 24 points leading to a ban.

"There are some traffic offences which will receive 24 points automatically," explained Brigadier Mohammed Saif Al Zafeen, Director of the General Department of Traffic at Dubai Police.

"These include reckless driving or causing fatalities or if motorists are convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol, exceeding speed limit or driving a car with no number plates," he told a Dubai press conference.

This is not the first time that Dubai has introduced a points system for driving offences. However, previous schemes have not been enforced.

This time will be different, assured Brigadier Al Zafeen.

Elaborating on the new rules, he explained that the yearlong ban for exceeding 24 points is not the only way to lose a license.

If a motorist jumps the red signal, he or she will receive 12 points and the car will be seized for a week. If the person is caught for a second time, the car will be seized for a month and if it's repeated again, he or she will be referred to courts, he explained.

The Dubai government last year set a target of becoming one of the safest cities in the world with regard to road deaths. At the time, it was recording around 20 deaths per 100,000 of the population. This compared to just 5 deaths per 100,000 in the UK - one of the safest countries in the world.

About time!

No complaints here!