In a major move towards gender equality, the Saubi Arabian government has allowed women to ride motorcycle and drive trucks in the country from June 2018. The Saudi Arabian General Directorate of Traffic made the announcement late last week, three months after King Salman announced that women will be allowed to drive in the country. The Royal Decree states that the law on driving will be equal for both men and women. No special license plates will be issued for cars driven by women either.
Also Read: Saudi Arabia Lifts Ban On Women Driving
Moreover, both men and women will follow the same traffic laws and regulations, but female offenders or those in an accident will be treated at special centres that are run by women. The update also opens up employment for women, who will be recruited as field inspectors and will be working at traffic checkpoints.
The Royal Decree is a major liberation for women and freedom in the state. In November this year, the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap report ranked Saudi Arabia as the seventh worse country in the world for women.
That said, the Saudi Arabian law still requires a male member of the woman's family to first grant her permission for studies or travel. More recently though, women were also allowed entry to three sports stadiums in the country while they are also now allowed to enter movie theatres. A decision allowing women to ride is always welcome and more progressive decisions from the Saudi government are expected to emerge in the future.
