Much like Saudi Arabia, the US is a place where you truly do need a car to manage daily life, unless you’re living in a city that has good public transportation. Those are few in the US and fewer in Saudi Arabia.
Consequently, female Saudi students in the US are learning to drive. They can’t afford to take taxis everywhere they need to go, nor can they rely on the kindness of strangers to handle their transportation needs. Arab News reports that a Saudi Student Club in Michigan has pulled together a program to get Saudi women to a drivers education school so that they can take the wheel for themselves.
The article also notes that there are currently 90,000 Saudi students in the US.
Female Saudi students in US learn to drive to get around
JEDDAH: ARAB NEWSThe issue of Saudi women driving surfaced again following revelations by the president of the Saudi Students’ Club in Flint, Michigan, that they have contacted a US company to teach Saudi female students to learn how to drive.
Abdul Rahman Khalaf Al-Shammari said his club decided to teach female students to solve their transportation problem, adding that they have spent a lot of money on taxis.
“We have set some conditions for training Saudi female students. The company should appoint only women to train our girls,” Al-Shammari said, adding that Saudi girls wanted to safeguard their customs and traditions.
He said other Saudi students clubs in the rest of the United States were also planning to teach Saudi female students driving.
“The girls will be taken to and from the driving school by women staff of the company,” Al-Shammari said, adding that the move would solve female students’ transport problem to a great extent.
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March:09:2013 - 08:42
TEXT OF EMAIL SENT TO ARKANSAS LAW AGENCIES BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Public Threat – General Benton Co
The Driving Academy of Northwest Arkansas reported 20 Saudi Arabian women are requesting to learn how to drive. She received an email requesting driving training on September 3. She replied back on September 5 stating she had some questions for them. They haven’t answered back. They stated in their request that they are with the Saudi Students Organization at University of Arkansas. (Notified: Local Coordinator, Area Coordinator, Deputy Director, Director, Hazmat Program Manager, PIO, Fusion Center, ATF, Department of Homeland Security Protective Security Adviser, ESF 2, ESF 8, FBI, FEMA Region VI, JTTF, TSA, U.S. Secret Service)
http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2012/09/12/threat-seen-in-saudi-women-trying-to-learn-to-drive