Saudi Arabian women will be able to drive trucks and
motorcycles, officials have said three months after the kingdom
announced a historic decision to end a ban on women driving.
In
September, King Salman issued a decree saying women will be able to
drive from next June as part of an ambitious reform push in the
conservative kingdom.
The Saudi General Directorate of
Traffic gave details of the new regulations that will follow the lifting
of the ban on the official Saudi Press Agency late on Friday.
“Yes,
we will authorise women to drive motorcycles” as well as trucks, it
said, adding that the royal decree stipulates that the law on driving
will be “equal” for both men and women.
There will be no
special licence plate numbers for female-driven cars, it said. But women
involved in road accidents or who commit traffic violations will be
dealt with at special centres that will be established and run by women.
Saudi
Arabia was the only country in the world to impose a ban on women
driving and its maintenance was seen around the world as a symbol of
repression in the Gulf kingdom.
Its historic decision to
allow women to drive from next June has been cheered inside the kingdom
and abroad — and comes after decades of resistance from female
activists, many of whom were jailed for flouting the ban.
Saudi
Arabia has some of the world's tightest restrictions on women. Under
the country's guardianship system, a male family member — normally the
father, husband or brother — must grant permission for a woman's study,
travel and other activities.
