HISTORY is in the making. As of Sunday (June 24) women will be behind the wheels in the Kingdom, making Saudi Arabia the last country in the world to lift female driving restrictions.

The countdown has begun.

While many Saudis are waiting to see the new scene on the Kingdom’s roads, which has been long awaited by women, many are preparing for this day, while others are taking driving lessons and learning other traffic nuances.

The General Directorate of Traffic is busy in a three-day introductory driving event across four cities in the Kingdom that ends on Saturday.

The event dubbed “Tawakali Wa Intaliqi” (Trust in God and Drive) in Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam and Tabuk combines entertainment with informative guidelines to future female drivers.

The General Directorate of Traffic of the Ministry of Interior is organizing the event with Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Saudi Aramco, Dallah Al-Barakah, Al-Hokair Group, and several other private entities.

Female instructors from Arab nationalities demonstrated visual and interactive displays to groups of women visitors on road safety, driving etiquette and the basics of car parts.

In an outdoor arena, several stations also included entertainment such as go karting and racing videogames.

According to the organizers, the event seeks to break barriers of fear holding back women from driving as well as to increase awareness on road safety.

Most visitors are beginners as they don’t have driving licenses yet.

Moreover, there is still ambiguity among women with regard to rules and regulations of driving and ways to obtain the driving license.

Ms. Amal, a school teacher, says she looks forward to learning how to drive as it would make her life easier. “There are many aspects that would help us,” she said. “Depending on the driver all the time is frustrating. In addition, riding in taxis with strangers on a regular basis can be dangerous. It’s much easier to move around in your own car and not have to wait for someone.”

Wafaa Al-Amami, a Saudi instructor teaching visitors safe driving habits such as the dangers of using smartphones while driving and staying alert on the road, says most visitors she has met during the event are not planning to drive anytime soon and will take their time to hit the roads.

Several women who prefer to wait say they fear road accidents in the beginning.

In Dammam, the General Directorate of Traffic and Saudi Aramco organized an exhibition on women driving depicting various aspects of safety and traffic regulations at Dammam Seafront.

The organizers set up various sections and impressively most of the sections are being manned by women instructors and guides. The main attraction of the exhibition is the central tent, which covers an area of 700 sq. meters and consists of several large screen TVs that depict and explain several parts of automobiles and their functions. Another TV screen shows traffic regulations and explains safe driving.

But the biggest attraction in the main tent is six simulators that give a taste of virtual driving. The hosts encourage prospective women drivers to take the seat and “Be on Your Own and Drive”— the theme of the show.

The simulators take women on the streets of Dammam and Al-Khobar and test their driving skills. The women instructors guide them in wading through the streets.

Vice President of Saudi Aramco Nabeel Al-Jame’h said the main purpose of the exhibition was to increase awareness about safe driving, parking and auto spare parts. He said the whole concept was based on training with entertainment. The response to the show was more than the expectations of the organizers. Nabeel said the simulators and guidelines by instructors will provide immense confidence to women drivers.

Nabeel also talked about the Driving Training Center the company has set up for its employees and their family members. At the driving center the company has tailored a 34-hour training program, which include 10 hours of theory and 24 hours of practical training. The main focus of the center is safety and adherence to rules and regulations.

He said the center has a capacity to provide training to 3,600 trainees per year. He disclosed that until now the pass percentage of women drivers from the center was over 95 percent.

The Traffic Department in the Eastern Province has, meanwhile, given final touches to its preparations for June 24. The cities of Dammam, Al-Khobar and Jubail are all set to see women driving through the city lanes.

In Riyadh, the three-day recreational and educational event was launched on Thursday by Director of the Riyadh Traffic Department Maj. Gen. Abdulrahman Al-Kharsan and the CEO of the Saudi Telecom Company, Nasser Sulaiman Al-Nasser.

Al-Nasser said STC’s participation in the event focused on the principle of “safety first” and on raising awareness about traffic laws.

Female accident inspectors ready

Meanwhile, the first batch of women car accident inspectors are training to respond to incidents involving female drivers.

Forty women hired by the private insurance services company Najm attended a celebration on Thursday in Riyadh. All of them wore black abayas, the traditional loose-fitting robes, and most covered their faces as they lined up to receive symbolic diplomas.

It was unclear when the trainees will be ready to start their new jobs.

The Ministry of Interior has worked with Najm to prepare the female inspectors.

They also plan to open holding cells for female traffic violators, but will hold them in juvenile detention centers in the meantime.

Trainee Tahani Al-Ameeri, 35, said she was excited to start working as an inspector in the eastern city of Al-Kohbar.

"There is fear at first," she said of women driving, "but little by little the situation will improve, and God willing this will be a good thing for women."

The female inspectors will be called to the scene of the accident when one of those involved is insured, not those involving injuries, and when at least one party is a woman, said Maha Al-Shneifi, Najm's communication director.

They have yet to finish their training, however, and it is unclear how many female inspectors will be hired in coming years. It will depend on demand, said Shneifi.