Saudi Woman arrested for Driving

Hat tip, DW.

Not driving drunk, or reckless, just...driving!
That's right my friends, it's illegal for a woman to drive a car in Saudi Arabia.

A woman has been arrested for breaking Saudi Arabia's ban on female drivers. She was stopped by a police patrol after driving six miles to collect her husband near their home in the town of Buraida.

As her 'legal guardian' he had to sign a declaration that he would not let his wife drive again.

It is not yet known if she has been released or if she faces legal action.

Saudi Arabia is the only country that forbids women from driving.

The ban is based on religious rulings from clerics who say it is un-Islamic.

Civil rights activists in the country have begun lobbying the government to lift the ban.

But not to worry, the auto industry is working a way around the problem.

Yann Lassade of General Motors GM.N in Dubai said its new Cadillac was being marketed in Saudi Arabia for the first time with female buyers in mind—but not those who drive.

 The Cadillac comes with special control mechanisms in the rear seat for everything but the steering wheel. ‘The new design is perfect for a chauffeur-driven car, with all the space and controls at the back seat,’ Lassade said.