Riyadh: In the first incident of its kind in Saudi Arabia, which bans women from driving, a young Saudi woman died while driving a car at midnight unnoticed by others, according to a senior police official.
"The speeding car overturned several times causing multiple injuries," the official said.
The 20-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries while taken to King Fahd Medical City in the capital city," said Major Sami Al Shuwairekh, spokesman for Riyadh Police.
Speaking to reporters, Major Al Shuwairekh said that the accident took place in northern Riyadh on Saturday at midnight.
Investigations
"The woman was driving her brother's car, neither her brother or other family members were aware that she had taken it. Reckless driving resulting in speeding was the cause of the accident," he said.
The Nissan Maxima car overturned at the intersection of Shaikh Jaber Street and King Abdullah Road. The accident occurred when the speeding car overturned several times at the intersection.
Riyadh Police have started investigations into the incident.
The investigating officials are examining why the woman took the car out at midnight while her family was asleep.
Family members are under interrogation by security officials to ascertain the actual provocation of this reckless act, and whether she had learned to drive.
It was learnt that the family members told officials that the woman sneaked out of the house and drove off without their knowledge.
This incident happens at a time when there is a growing demand in the kingdom to allow women to drive.
The Saudi media has reported a number of cases over the past year where women have flouted the ban, some civil rights activists have begun lobbying the government publicly to lift the ban.
Last month, police detained a woman for violating the driving ban. The woman from Buraida, north of Riyadh, was stopped by a police patrol after driving 10km to pick up her husband.
The woman's legal guardian (her husband) was required by the police to sign a declaration that he would not allow her to drive again.
Earlier, there were press reports that more than 100 Saudi women had signed a petition and sent it to Interior Minister Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz asking him to lift restrictions banning women from driving. Wajeha Al Huwaider, who has a driving licence, was behind the move to dispatch the petition.
This young woman has posted a video of herself driving on YouTube in an effort to urge the Saudi government to expand the rights of women to drive in Saudi cities.
