Riyadh: A few hours before Saturday midnight, traffic billboards along the main roads of Saudi Arabia’s major cities started displaying supportive messages to women drivers who took to the roads for the first time.
The ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia was lifted as of Saturday midnight.
As the clock ticked past midnight, scores of women drivers, who obtained their new driving licences, drove along the main streets of Riyadh, Jeddah and other major cities across Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi General Department of Traffic altered the content of electronic billboards on main roads to accommodate messages for women, reading “Sister Driver, Brother Driver: The General Department of Traffic wishes you a safe trip on the road.”
Another billboard read: “Sister Driver, Brother Driver: Abiding by traffic rules and regulations is evidence of your high awareness.”
A third message reminded drivers of both sexes that “Commitment to traffic rules helps you avoid road accidents.”
The Saudi King issued a royal decree in September 2017 allowing women to drive as of June 24, as part of a wide-ranging social reform programme under Saudi Vision 2030.
Since then, women attended driving lessons at newly-founded driving schools around the kingdom, including Princess Noura University in Riyadh; and over the past weeks community-oriented events took place in Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah and Tabuk to mark the run-up to the historic date.
