On Sept. 28, 2011, a Saudi woman, Shaima Jastaina, was spared from the ten lashes she was ordered to receive that day for simply driving a car. Saudi Arabia is still working to create amendments to their constitution in order to bestow basic rights, such as driving, to the women in the kingdom. According to King Abdullah’s decree from Sept. 26, the changes will allow women the right to vote as of 2015. They will also be able to be elected to the Shura council, an advisory council.
American women have unfortunately taken these basic rights and privileges for granted. We have not noticed that there are other women in this world that are not even allowed to drive, simply because of their sex.
I wonder how life would be it we were not able to drive a vehicle; would we be on the bus all the time? Would we be walking everywhere? Nowadays, a vehicle has become an essential part of our lives, especially if you live in a big city. Austin has various methods of transportation, therefore giving us an actual choice to drive or not – and how wonderful is that?
We college students already know how it feels to be on bus or on foot most of the time, because not all of us bring a car to college. Currently, I don’t have my own vehicle, but I still get the opportunity to drive my parents’ or friends’ cars.
During the time I did not have a vehicle at my disposal, life was always rushed and boring. Having to wait at the bus stop until the bus came, waiting on the bus until I reached my stop, then walking the distance to arrive at my destination, was especially tiring. Let’s not take these simple freedoms, rights and privileges for granted, because there are those who are still suffering to have what we have – and that could be something as simple as driving.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Texas chapter.