Saudi ban on female drivers may be eroding

Sinful temptation?
Conservatives say women at the wheel create situations for sinful temptation. They argue that women drivers will be free to leave home alone, will unduly expose their eyes while driving and will interact with male strangers, such as traffic police and mechanics.

Many Saudi women own cars and have driver's licenses from countries where they have studied or lived. Some, like al-Habis, an English major, have learned to drive in remote desert areas, where practicality sometimes outweighs ideology and it's more acceptable for women to drive tractors and water tankers, or even cars short distances.

Hamad al-Habis, 50, an airport inspector, said he taught his wife and four daughters to drive so they can cope in an emergency. He said he even gave them rudimentary tests — by using tree branches to make roads narrower and winding — to make sure they can park and drive on difficult roads.

Last September, a group of women formed the Committee of Demanders of Women's Right to Drive Cars to lobby for the right to get behind the wheel, collecting more than 3,000 signatures. They have sent two petitions to Abdullah, committee member Wajeha al-Huwaider said.

Moving forward
To mark Women's Day in March, al-Huwaider posted a video of herself on YouTube driving in the Eastern province.

Surprisingly, the government did not try to stop the group from collecting signatures or punish al-Huwaider for her bold move.

Al-Huwaider said that's an encouraging sign, leading her to believe that women will start driving by the end of the year.

"We have moved forward since last year," said al-Huwaider. "There's more awareness and discussion of the topic."

At the hospital where her father and brothers were being treated for leg burns, al-Habis described her 10-minute drive through the streets of Riyadh.

"I didn't feel nervous," she said, her face covered by the traditional black niqab.

Her dream, she said, is to start driving her favorite car soon.

"I want a Ferrari, a pink one. I love the roar it makes."

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