Earlier this week, a survey was conducted at a conference in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh entitled “Drive Safely,” with staggering results: 61 percent of Saudi women are getting ready to get behind the wheel this June when the decades-old driving ban is officially lifted across the Kingdom.
The survey also showed that 48 percent of respondents are getting ready to drive to be able to get to work and 18 percent said they wanted to drive in order to take their children to school. The survey revealed that about 50 percent of women already have some knowledge of traffic safety.
Tamador Al-Rammah, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Development, said the decision to allow women to drive has been a timely one, explaining that “driving is necessary for women to cater to changing life circumstances.” Rammah also explained that the next phase represents a turning point in the lives of Saudi women and asked them not to heed the cynicism of men about their driving.
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.
Under Vision 2030, the Kingdom has made a number of key changes including rescinding the ban on female motorists, opening up public spaces previously off-limits to women, hosting its first-ever business forum for women, and so on, in order to further strengthen women’s rights, improve their mobility, and enhance their participation in all fields.
