Police officers welcomed Saudi women drivers with roses
Minutes after Saudi Arabia lifted the ban on female driving, women hit the roads, steering their way through busy roads. "It looks way different from the back seat", this was the reaction of one of the Saudi women as she sat behind the wheels for the first time in the country on Saturday after the administration lifted a decade-long ban on women's driving and granting licenses to them earlier this month.
A Saudi woman, who used to drive earlier outside Saudi Arabia, now drove within her native place for the first time flashing their brand new driving license. While the women were still taking in the happiness and feeling of empowerment, Saudi Arabia Police officers welcomed them on the streets with roses. It was a beautiful effort to say that the country is ready to embrace women driving their way on the busy roads. According to local reports, the roses also came with messages from the police which read - "Safety be with you".
While unable to explain her feeling in words, a woman driver expressed, "My eyes are everywhere. I am not used to this.. I need not ask anyone to take me around. It is very important for us to drive. A lot of us don't need to drive. I used to drive and do my own things and now I could do it again."
Saudi General Traffic Directorate last week started issuing licenses to women after King Salman last year issued an order to allow women to drive in Saudi Arabia. However, the fees for having driving lessons are six times more than men, which acts as the restriction for women who want to drive. Because of this reason, it is learned that a special driving school for women is in the pipeline.
