Jeddah, Jun 23 (Arab News): A three-day recreational and educational event for women about driving cars was launched on Thursday by the director of the Riyadh Traffic Department, Maj. Gen. Abdulrahman Al-Kharsan, and Saudi Telecom Co. (STC) CEO Nasser Sulaiman Al-Nasser.

The event was held at Riyadh Park Mall in cooperation with the General Directorate of Traffic, the STC and other government entities.

In his speech, Al-Nasser stressed the STC’s eagerness to support preparations to implement the royal decree allowing women to drive from Sunday.

“This royal decree falls in line with the company’s initiatives and programs in the field of social responsibility,” he said.

“The STC’s participation in the event focuses on the principle of safety first, and on raising awareness of traffic laws.”

The event aims to educate women about road rules and safety, and features cultural and educational exhibitions.

Tabuk to issue 60 more licenses for female drivers

The director of Tabuk’s Traffic Department said it is preparing to issue 60 permits for new trainees who applied for licenses at the women’s driving school in the region.

The department has already issued 40 permits as part of preparations to implement the royal decree allowing women to drive, said Brig. Gen. Mohammad Al-Ateeq.

The process is divided into three categories: Women holding a valid license, those with expired ones, and women not holding any permit.

Women holding a valid license will undergo a test before being issued their new Saudi license, replacing their foreign one.

Women with expired licenses will be trained for six hours, after which they will be tested.

If they pass, a license will be issued immediately, but if they fail, they will be able to do four more hours of training.