沙特女性終於在今天迎來了歷史性時刻。
24日，沙特正式解除了對女性的駕車禁令，女性從此可以在該國合法駕車。長期以來，沙特宗教當局以可能引發社會問題為由，反對女性駕車。
儘管法律無明文規定，但交通部門在本月4日前從未給女性頒發過駕照。去年9月，沙特國王薩勒曼頒布國王令，宣布從2018年6月起允許女性駕車。
Saudi Arabia allowed women to drive from Sunday, overturning the world's only ban on female motorists, a historic reform that is expected to usher in a new era of social mobility.
The move is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's wide-ranging reform drive to modernize the country.
Women in the capital Riyadh and other cities began zipping around streets bathed in amber floodlights soon after the ban was lifted at midnight, some in cars with thumping stereo music.
"It is a historic moment for every Saudi woman," said Sabika al-Dosari, a Saudi television presenter before driving a sedan across the border to the kingdom of Bahrain.
The lifting of the decades-long ban is expected to be transformative for many women, freeing them from their dependence on private chauffeurs or male relatives.
"This is a great achievement," billionaire Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal said as his daughter Reem drove a family SUV, with his granddaughters applauding from the back seat. "Now women have their freedom," he added in a video posted on Twitter.
Some three million women in Saudi Arabia could receive licenses and actively begin driving by 2020, according to consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The kingdom earlier this month began issuing its first driving licenses to women in decades, with some swapping their foreign permits for Saudi ones after undergoing a practical test.
A handful of female driving schools have cropped up in several cities, training women to drive cars as well as Harley Davidson motorbikes.
Many Saudi women have ebulliently declared plans on social media to drive for coffee or ice cream, an experience a dazzling novelty in the desert kingdom.
The decision to lift the ban was catalyzed in large measure by what experts characterize as economic pain in the kingdom owing to a protracted oil slump.
The move is expected to boost women's employment, and according to a Bloomberg estimate, add 90 billion US dollars to economic output by 2030.
In October 2017 Prince Mohammed pledged a "moderate, open" Saudi Arabia.
"We will not spend the next 30 years of our lives dealing with destructive ideas," he said.
In February 2018, the kingdom announced it will invest 64 billion US dollars in boosting its lagging entertainment sector.
Prince Mohammed, appointed heir to the most powerful throne in the Middle East a year ago this month, has also lifted a ban on cinemas and mixed-gender concerts, following his public vow to return the kingdom to moderate Islam.
（部分中文來源央視新聞）