RIYADH — Director General of Traffic Department Maj. Gen. Muhammad Al-Bassami has refuted contents of a statement published in one of the electronic newspapers on Thursday about procedures for swapping foreign licenses held by women drivers. The statement was attributed to a Traffic Department source.

Maj. Gen. Al-Bassami said the tests for women holding foreign driving licenses and replacing foreign driving licenses with Saudi ones would begin only when preparations are complete.

The report claimed that foreign women visiting the Kingdom would be allowed to drive for a year if they have international driving licenses. It said women visitors will also be allowed to drive if the driving licenses they hold are recognized by the Traffic Department. They can drive for a year or until the expiration of their driving licenses, whichever comes first.

The report said the Traffic Department has started exchanging international driving licenses held by women with Saudi licenses and has set up a number of centers in various parts of the Kingdom for the purpose.

While refuting the claims published by the newspaper, Maj. Gen. Al-Bassami stressed the importance of sourcing information regarding public affairs to official spokesmen of the concerned departments.

All procedures for implementing the royal order on implementing traffic regulations and their executive bylaws on both male and female drivers have been made clear earlier, Al-Bassami said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency on Friday. — SG/SPA