Society
6.5.2018
First driving licenses issued to women in Saudi Arabia
Before the official lifting of the ban from June 24th and for the first time in fifty years, ten women have been issued driving licences on Monday.
Three weeks before the royal decree allowing women driving comes into force, the General Directorate of Traffic issued driving licences in several Kingdom’s cities. These ten women already held international driving licences and had taken a driving test an eye exam beforehand. « I have 12 years of driving experience in Lebanon, Switzerland, and the United States, » said Rema Jawdat, one of these first beneficiaries of the reform announced in September 2017, quoted by the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information. « It’s a dream come true that I am about to drive in the Kingdom ».
The General Directorate expects to issue 2000 more licenses next week. This is a groundbreaking action for women’s free movement in the country. In fact, the reform allows women to drive without a legal guardian’s authorization nor his presence in the vehicle.
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