The traffic authority plans to soon introduce the long-awaited points system for motorists, which could see drivers banned permanently from the roads for repeated violations and accidents, apart from fines and imprisonment, according to sources.

According to the Interior Ministry’s website, a driver’s license would be withdrawn for three months if he has 24 points against him in one calendar year. If a driver gets 24 points twice in a calendar year, the license is withdrawn for six months. If this happens three times, the license is withdrawn for one year. A fourth accumulation of 24 points in one year would see a complete ban from the roads.

Driving under the influence of narcotics and drifting would get a driver an immediate 24 points for each violation. Running red lights and driving into oncoming traffic would get 12 points each, with eight points each for swerving at high speed between cars, failure to comply with traffic signs, and driving without brakes or lights.

Meanwhile, insurance companies in the Kingdom have revealed that 60 percent of motorists in the Kingdom are currently not insured. They have also recommended increasing insurance premiums for those motorists who have frequent accidents.

Bassem Al-Odah, the general manager at Arabian Shield Cooperative Insurance Company, said a study is currently taking place on linking drivers’ traffic records with their premiums. This would place less financial burden on those who have fewer accidents, he said.

However, the Director of the General Directorate for Traffic Safety, Brig. Gen. Ali Al-Rashidi said insurance companies should not introduce this measure because it might prejudice drivers. He said it was mandatory for all drivers to have insurance before getting onto the road.

Al-Rashidi acknowledged that a study on insurance values has been conducted by the traffic department and Star Insurance company but, he said, the purpose of it was to make it easier for citizens to obtain their financial entitlements in accidents. He said that 85 percent of accidents occur due to driver errors, of which 26 percent are due to speeding, and 21 percent running traffic lights.

Most accidents are caused by young men aged 16 to 17, he said.