Riyadh - Saudi Arabia's lifting of a much
criticised ban on women drivers will reduce the number of car
crashes in a country with one of the world's worst
traffic-related death rates, its interior minister said on
Thursday.
King Salman announced the historic change on Tuesday, ending
a conservative tradition which limited women's mobility and was
seen by rights activists as an emblem of their suppression in
the kingdom where Islam originated.
Saudi Arabia was the only remaining country in the world to
bar women from driving, a policy that will officially end in
June 2018 after a ministerial committee reports on measures
needed for implementation.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, the interior minister
who took over from his uncle in June, said security forces were
ready to apply traffic laws to men and women, though he did not
mention if women would be recruited as traffic police.
"Women driving cars will transform traffic safety into a
pedagogical practice which will reduce human and economic losses
caused by accidents," he was quoted as saying on the ministry's
official Twitter feed. He did not elaborate.
Around 20 Saudis die each day in traffic accidents. Poor
governance has contributed to Saudi Arabia's woeful record in
road safety, analysts say, and the government is aiming to
reduce the number of deaths by a quarter as part of its
ambitious Vision 2030 reform programme.
While Saudi women have generally praised the lifting of the
driving ban, some men expressed concern it would dramatically
increase the number of cars on already crowded Saudi roads.
A middle- to upper-class Saudi family typically has two
vehicles, one driven by the man of the house and a second car in
which a full-time chauffeur transports his wife and children.
The royal decree promises to change lifestyles for many of
the 10 million women over the age of 20, including foreigners,
who live in Saudi Arabia.
It may also help restore auto sales growth in a market
dented by the economic fallout from weak oil prices.
But because of conservative traditions, it may actually take
years rather than months for women to become a major presence on
the roads in some areas.
In a country where gender segregation has been enforced for
decades, the decree means women will have regular contact with
unrelated men, such as fellow drivers and traffic police.