Meet Wazna: Saudi elderly woman who drives a truck

Your faithful blogger somehow missed this article and video when it was published in October, 2016 by al-Arabiyya. Note the subject is covering her face with fabric to retain some privacy, but since she is filmed with her husband and her voice is not disguised, no doubt her family knows she was filmed driving and it's socially accepted among the people living in the desert. The article, including a link to the video of her interview in Arabic is pasted in below and a link to the article is here. 

Despite popular beliefs, many women in Saudi Arabia drive their cars in order to run errands and get from place to place. (Al Arabiya)

Mohammed al-Harbi, AlArabiya.net Tuesday, 18 October 2016

She does not own a driver’s license, but that is no obstacle for Wazna, who has been driving her truck in the open desert of al-Dahna ever since she was a child.

She has been driving for such a long time that she knows the entry and exit points of al-Dahna desert more than her male counterparts.

But Wazna is not alone.

Despite popular beliefs, many women in Saudi Arabia drive their cars in order to run errands and get from place to place.

Link to video 

One woman whom AlArabiya.net spoke to, but refused to have her photograph taken, said: “I drive a pick-up truck not for any specific reasons but simply helps me get my daily chores done, like getting water tanks delivered from their source to our home.”

In Saudi Arabia, no penal code exists that explicitly states that women are forbidden from driving. The government simply does not issue any licenses to women, who mostly rely on personal male drivers or relatives to get around.

For Wazna, the decision to drive is clear.

“I have to drive as my family depends on me to help them around the desert,” she told AlArabiya.net.

*A version of this article was originally published on AlArabiya.net.

Last Update: Tuesday, 18 October 2016 KSA 19:10 - GMT 16:10