The van ahead of me was weaving dangerously into heavy merging traffic. Keeping a safe distance behind, I finally managed to pull up to him to give him a piece of my mind. What I saw was a figure of a petrified Asian driver crouched low behind the wheel with a look of total terror. Glancing at the back seat occupants, I noticed three women who looked just as terrified as their driver.

I quickly surmised that this driver was probably very new in town, and must have very little experience at the wheel. And how tragic it would have been if he had caused a serious collision with loss of lives of his occupants. We’ve heard enough stories of such occurrences with heartbreaking consequences.

As I sped by with a disapproving shake of my head, I wondered why are we allowing this to happen. Why are we putting our women and children in a position of mortal danger at the hands of some very inexperienced drivers? Why are we an oddity among nations, whereby we have the dubious distinction of being the only country in the world that denies women the right to drive?

Is it our religion that forbids such a right? Obviously not, or else we would be damning devout Muslim women who enjoy such rights across the globe into a life of sin. Then what is it? Is it our culture, our social norms? Again, this does not seem to be a credible argument, as some towns and villages have womenfolk driving back and forth in pick-ups to farms and fields to help in the harvest or herding of livestock.

So just exactly what is the argument against women driving? I know of many in Jeddah, men and women alike, who would welcome such a move. And from correspondence with people from several provinces, it seems they share similar feelings.

The arguments for allowing women to drive today are increasing multifold. As more and more women enter the work force, they are inhibited from getting there in the first place.

Adding to that, economically it is a dent on one’s budget to hire a family driver and provide accommodation, especially if one is just starting to earn a living. And then again, the inexperience of some drivers has indeed led to many a sorrowful death.

Children shuttled back and forth to school are often at risk as well and sometimes subjected to uncalled abuse. No one can share a greater concern for the safety of a child than the parents themselves, and it is not often convenient for the man of the household to be shuttling his children between several schools and getting to work on time. Not everybody can afford the privilege of a family driver.

There is public resistance from some quarters toward granting this right to women. But we should not allow ourselves to be held hostage by extreme views of such groups, whose edicts in the past have all been directed at the subjugating and control of women. To them I say fine, and to each his own, so long if you apply such beliefs to yourselves. But don’t pawn them on the rest of us as a religious, cultural or social order.

Now I realize the government has a dilemma on their hands. How do you introduce women driving without causing some major problems? Obviously, women drivers initially will be the targets of attention, some of it unwarranted, if seen behind the wheel, in a society not accustomed to such a sight. What happens if they perchance are involved in a collision?

In pockets of a culture that frowns on such independence, women may feel threatened. The answer is ZERO tolerance toward anyone bothering these women. Males caught in the harassment of women should have their heads shorn and their photos displayed in newspapers, as some countries in the Gulf do. And the government doesn’t have to move radically. Open up driving schools for women. Start hiring women in the traffic force. Begin by allowing women accompanied by their male guardians to drive. Restrict the age limitation for women drivers to above a certain age, perhaps 25 years. Limit the driving hours for women between sunrise and sunset initially, until it dawns on us males that their time has indeed arrived. Eventually the novelty of seeing an abaya-clad woman whizzing by in her own wheels will indeed wear off.

This is the 21st century, and unless we remove this abnormal obstacle, the chances for women to make a positive impact in our society will forever be limited in them getting to their pursuits on time and in one piece.