Saudi Arabia issues decree allowing women to drive

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has issued a decree allowing women to drive for the first time. 

Saudi Press Agency reports, Government ministries are to prepare reports within 30 days and the order will be implemented by June next year.The royal decree will implement the provisions of traffic regulations, including the issuance of driving licences for men and women alike, it added.

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world to forbid women from driving.

Rights groups have campaigned for years to allow women in Saudi Arabia to drive, and some women have been imprisoned for defying the rule.

The move, which has been welcomed by the United States, represents a significant opening for women in Saudi Arabia, where women's rights have steadily and slowly gained ground over the years. Saudi



women remain largely under the whim of male relatives due to guardianship laws.

'Huge step'

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, Prince Khaled bin Salman, described the decision of allowing women to drive as a “huge step.”  

“It's not just a social change, it's part of economic reform,” he said. “Our leadership believes this is the right time to do this change because in Saudi Arabia, we have a young, dynamic open society.” 

The ambassador said women will not need to get permission from legal guardians to get a license.

Furthermore, if a woman has a driver’s license in another Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country, she's allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, he said.