How to Stay Safe While Driving in Saudi Arabia?

The issuance of a royal decree from King Salman bin Abdulaziz, allowing women to drive in Saudi Arabia, represented a significant milestone that contributed to enhancing the role of women in society. In order to ensure that women's driving is safe and secure, we will present in the following article a set of valuable guidelines that should be followed to avoid any potential risks.

Pre-driving Preparations 

A few minutes or hours of preparation before driving can keep you safe from accidents that could cost you your life. The following tips will help you with this:  

Periodic Car Maintenance

It is always better to be safe than sorry, and this applies to many aspects of life, including vehicles and driving. We recommend that you choose a mechanic to do periodic checks on your car while also keeping an eye on the following things.

• Read the car manual
• Check the tire pressure and learn how to change them if needed
• Check your car’s engine oil for quality and quantity
• Check battery performance and make sure it’s not older than 4 years
• Check your headlight and taillights, turn signals, and brake lights  

Learn Defensive Driving

You've definitely heard of self-defense sports, but have you heard of defensive driving skills? These techniques can help you in avoiding possible risks caused by other careless drivers or other factors. We've included a handful of them below.

• Stay focused on the road while maintaining the right position behind the driving wheel
• Stay alert and try to anticipate risks such as staying away from construction sites
• Follow the “3 seconds rule” which is to leave three seconds of space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you
• Stay away from the other cars blind spots where your car will be invisible 
• Except that other drivers will make mistakes
• Driving carefully during rain or snow  

Night Driving Tips

Even though driving at night is risky for everyone, it can be more dangerous for women. You can drive more safely at night by employing the following guidelines.

• Use your lights appropriately; switch them on 30 minutes before sunset, and use fog lights to take advantage of the brightness they provide
• Clean your windshield to decrease your visibility 
• Watch for wildlife, and when you see them, the safest way to avoid an accident is by slowing down and stopping not by swerving
• Take the safe roads that are well lit
• Plan your trip ahead of time to avoid any dangerous roads
• Follow the speed limit  

Bring Emergency Essentials

In case of a roadside emergency, try not to panic; having those things available in your car may also be beneficial.

• Torch and spare batteries 
• Spare tire
• Jumper cables
• First-aid kit
• Tool kit
• Fire extinguisher

Driving on Saudi Arabian Roads

Driving can become a habit that doesn't require much thought, as we forget that it's a serious procedure that requires specific precautions to be safe and exciting.

• Try not to drive through dangerous neighborhoods 
• Don’t pick up strangers in your car
• Choose your parking spot wisely, and make sure it’s well-lit and not empty
• Keep your doors locked when stopping at traffic lights
• Put your seatbelt on to lower the risk of injury from accidents by 50%
• Follow all traffic signs and road rules
• Avoid making calls or texting while driving

Saudi authorities want to increase the employment rate for women from 22% to 30% as part of Vision 2030, which means that many women will be independent and free to drive their own vehicles. More ideas for taking care of your car and improving your driving skills can be found in the car advice section.