Al-Riyadh newspaper

I would like to highlight the dereliction of duty by the authorities in preparation for women driving in the Kingdom from June 23 in order to ensure protection for women drivers. In previous articles I have drawn the attention of the Traffic Department to a number of important issues but it has not paid any attention to them despite the huge budget it receives every year, especially this year.

I do not think there is any shortage of resources. The apparent shortage is in providing trained manpower and female traffic officers to welcome women drivers and assure them that they are safe. I have also previously written about the limited number of driving schools in the Kingdom.

Another important issue is that the Traffic Department has given a green light to existing driving schools to charge women exorbitant prices. New discriminatory conditions have been imposed on women who want to get driving licenses.

I would like to take this opportunity to commend the department for installing new boards and posters along streets welcoming women drivers and advising them to follow traffic and safety regulations. This will definitely create an atmosphere that is friendly to women.

I would also like to emphasize the need for an important law to prevent harassment ahead of women driving in the Kingdom. Although a Royal Decree was issued by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on Sept. 28 urging the Interior Ministry to draft the law within 60 days, it is only in the last week that the Shoura Council has acted on it.

Royal Decree No. 906 dated 28/09/2017 states: “Considering that harassment has a dangerous and negative effect on individuals, families and society, and is contrary to Islamic values and the country’s customs and traditions, the importance of a law making harassment a crime and specifying deterrent punishment to stop the crime cannot be overemphasized.”

The law will contribute to preventing harassment and act as a deterrent for those who are tempted to commit such crimes. God willing, it will also ensure adherence to our religious values and preservation of public morals, the decree explained.

I do not know why it has taken so long to act, but now that the Shoura Council has proposed a draft anti-harassment law, it must be approved and enacted as soon as possible in order to provide protection to women who will soon be driving on the Kingdom’s roads and highways.