Over 120,000 Saudi Women apply for license
- Over 190 women drove from both sides of the King Fahad Causeway, the 25-kilometer terrestrial link between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
- Although it has been used by millions of drivers, no woman has ever driven across the causeway in its 32-year history.
- It was marked as a Historic day as these 190 women drove across the causeway in 12 hours, which was recorded by Saudi TV Channel –Al Ekhbariya.
- Advanced biometric technology will be used to identify the authenticity of driving licenses by traffic police.
- The historic day was celebrated with great fanfare by Saudi and Bahraini women who drove to the Eastern Province in a show of support and solidarity.
- Major General Mansour Al Turki, official spokesman of the Ministry of Interior and Major General Mohammed Al Bassami, Director General of the Ministry’s General Directorate of Traffic on Sunday said that more than 120,000 women have applied to obtain a driving licence in Saudi Arabia.
- “What applies to men applies to women also, the regulations are clear,” Al Bassami said, quoted by the Riyadh-based Centre for International Communication.
- Most women with no experience have to undergo at least 30 hours of practical training at a driving school, while women who are able to drive, can exchange their foreign license for a local one, and can sit for six hours of practical training.
- Women’s empowerment in all fields is seen as an important element in Vision 2030 blueprint and the future of Saudi Arabia, spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman.
