In February of this year, Saudi Arabia’s Traffic Department announced that the Kingdom’s female drivers rarely violated traffic rules, in comparison to their male counterparts. This week, it seems women continue to outshine men on the road although having been given the right to drive just a year ago. Saudi Gazette reports that there has been a drop of about seven percent in traffic violations committed by women drivers during the past 11 months.
The news site attributed the decrease in traffic violations committed by women drivers to their careful driving and their commitment to traffic rules. It also highlighted that immediately following the lifting of the driving ban, there were a high number of violations in the weeks after the ban lift committed mostly by novice female drivers. However, as time has gone by and more training schools have been open to prepare women for the road, the number of driving-related incidents have dropped significantly.
From rescinding the ban on female motorists to opening up public spaces previously off-limits to women, Saudi Arabia has been working on transforming various aspects of its society that give women more opportunities to engage and be involved in the country’s advancement. The recent wave of key reforms the Kingdom has been witnessing since the ascension of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman are part of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s ambitious plan to reshape its economy and reduce its reliance on oil revenue.
