Although this is obviously illegal in the Kingdom, families tend to ignore this rule. From their point of view, summertime is the best time to teach them how to drive instead of enrolling them in driving schools.

Many motorists criticize those who allow their underage children to drive, as not only are they putting their lives in danger, but they are also risking the lives of other drivers on the road.

Some argue that teenagers are not aware of how to deal with an emergency situation on the road or if they are involved in accidents.

Saudi traffic law forbids youngsters under the legal driving age from obtaining licenses. Teenagers aged 17 are allowed to obtain provisional licenses. Anyone caught without a driving or provisional license will be fined and sometimes arrested.

Nahla Nagy, a Saudi housewife and mother of five, bought her 16-year-old son a car as a summer gift. She said that since his father is busy with work and travel, she decided to hit two birds with one stone.

“I wanted him to learn how to drive. Also, he will be responsible for driving his sisters to school that they are enrolled this summer,” she said. “Many people may not agree with me, but I think this will teach him how to be responsible.”

Nahla added that her son asked her many times to buy him a car, as each of his friends had one, but she refused because at the time he was only 15 and he did not have a driving license.

Ahmed Abdulellah, a Saudi employee and father-of-five, bought his 15-year-old son a car this summer because he did not want his son to be the odd one among his friends.

Abdulellah is totally against the idea of teenagers driving cars on the streets simply because they are not prepared for the chaos.

“I know buying a car for a 15-year-old is wrong. However, my son is not going to drive the car until I am sure he is ready. He will only be allowed to drive inside the neighborhood, to go to the nearby grocery shop or to his relatives if they live nearby.” He said that security and safety come first. He added if he gets the slightest hint that his son is going to act wild in the car, he would confiscate it. He also imposed a condition on his son not to allow his friends inside the car so they would not encourage him to do something stupid.

A 15-year-old teenager, who did not want his name published, told Arab News his father taught him how to drive when he was 11.

“My mother objected to me driving. I managed to convince my parents that this is the best way that I can show them I am responsible. There are conditions I have to follow such as never driving after 9 p.m. and that I should never speed. So far I have not broken any of the rules,” he said.