By Md Rasooldeen
RIYADH — A young Saudi woman was killed in an accident as she was driving her husband’s car in the early hours of the morning on Thursday.
According to local reports, the woman, in her 20s, lost control of the vehicle and crashed it into the wall of a prestigious sports club in the Sahafa district in northern Riyadh. The car caught fire and she died on the spot, according to reports.
Arab News contacted Maj. Gen. Abdul Rahman Al-Moqbil, Riyadh Civil Defense spokesman, to confirm the accident, who said he was unaware of the incident since he was attending a meeting in Makkah.
The spokesman, however, said the matter can only be confirmed by the Riyadh Traffic Department. Thursday’s tragedy was not the first of its kind involving a female driver.
In January 2012, a female driver was injured and her companion killed when their car overturned in Hail. In November 2010, a female driver was killed, along with three of her female passengers, in a similar accident.
There remains a strict ban on women driving in the Kingdom. Women are usually chauffeured by domestic drivers or male relatives.
Naif Al-Rasheed, a Saudi journalist, told Arab News that the timing of the accident remains a mystery, but said that local laws should be respected by citizens and residents alike.
“Women are banned from driving and there are no exceptions to this rule,” he said. “This is the first such accident since several women recently demanded the driving ban be lifted.”–Arab News
