For the first time, women in Saudi Arabia are legally allowed to drive.
June 23 (UPI) — For the first time, women in Saudi Arabia are legally allowed to drive.
The kingdom’s ban was lifted at midnight Sunday, ending the distinction of the only country to not allow women to drive, the BBC reported .
The change is part of Vision 2030, which is a plan to overhaul Saudi Arabia’s economy under the direction Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Women no longer will depend on public transportation or rely on male drivers to travel.
The ban was announced last September and the first driver’s licenses were issued to a few women in exchange for ones they received while overseas.
Last week, events took place in Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah and Tabuk to raise awareness of road safety, traffic laws and safe driving habits. That included allowing women to try out driving simulators and practice parking.
But last month several Saudi rights activists were arrested on “suspicious contact with foreign entities,” according to a statement on Saudi Arabia’s official news agency.
“The lifting of the ban is testament to the bravery and determination of the women’s rights activists who have been campaigning on the issue since the 1990s, and the activists following up their groundbreaking work in subsequent campaigns since 2011,”Samah Hadid, Amnesty International ‘s Middle East campaigns director, said in a statement . “While we welcome the fact that women can finally get behind the wheel, we should not forget that many people are still behind bars for their work in fighting for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.”
Wahhabi Islam, which Saudi Arabia follow, bans the mixing of sexes at public events as well as women needing the permission of a male guardian to marry, work or travel.
