A Year of Driving for Saudi Women: A Timeline

It’s been just over a whole year since Saudi women pushed the pedal to the metal and hit the roads with their newly acquired driving licenses. Last June, the women of Saudi Arabia celebrated another right granted to them as they were able to enjoy driving a car for the first time, and to champion just how far they have come within a matter of 12 months, we’ve listed the noteworthy moments in the history of Saudi women being able to drive.

September 2017: On the 26^th of September 2017, the ban on women driving was lifted by order of royal decree. This announcement made major headlines and what happened next was even more newsworthy.

January 2018: With the excitement surrounding women being able to drive, businesses and the women of Saudi alike wanted to be prepared, and to drive, you need a car, and therefore, on January 11^th 2018, the first women’s only car showroom opened in a shopping mall in Jeddah.

4^th June 2018: 10 Saudi Arabian women were issued with the kingdom’s driving licenses as they traded in their foreign ones for Saudi ones before the day that the ban on women driving would officially be over.

8^th June 2018: Finnish expat in Saudi Arabia, Laura Alho, best known as “Blue Abaya”, became the first European woman to obtain a Saudi driving license. Alho’s Blue Abaya blog focuses on educating readers on the beauty of Saudi Arabia and its tourism hotspots.

24^th June 2018: This day marked a monumental day in the history of Saudi Arabia as women were finally allowed to drive their cars. When the clock struck midnight, female drivers, including Leena Almaeena, a member of Saudi’s Shoura Council, took to the roads in their new cars. The same day, Aseel Al Hamad became the first Saudi woman to drive a Formula 1 car and to mark the occasion, she did a lap around the French Grand Prix circuit.

6-7^th April 2019: Motorsports enthusiast and Saudi racing car driver, Reema Juffali, made her debut at the UK’s Brands Hatch in the Formula 4 British Championship, proving that Saudi women can make waves both within the kingdom and internationally.