Saudi Arabian lifts ban on women driving as from next month
By Patricia Uyeh
According to news report, Saudi Arabian women would be allowed to start driving as from June 24. The General Department of Traffic Director General Mohammed Bassami made the announcement in a statement.
He said: “All the requirements for women in the kingdom to start driving have been established.”
He added that women who are 18 years of age and older would be allowed to apply for a driver’s license.
Driving schools for women have already been set up across five cities in the conservative kingdom, and teachers will include Saudi women who obtained their licenses abroad.
Women with foreign driving licenses will be able to apply for a local one through a separate process, which will also assess their driving skills.
The statement also noted:
“It is no secret that many women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hold driving licenses from abroad,”
In September 2017, a royal decree announced the end of a decades-long ban on women driving. You would recall that Saudi Arabia was also in the news after they lifted the ban on cinema after 35years and they also held a fashion show.
