11 April 2008
Snapshot
BEIRUT: "She is the most courageous driver," and "there is not any difference between her and male drivers," is how people have described Wafaa Othman, the first female driving tutor in Beirut. "I don't know why women are accused of being ignorant of traffic laws and weak in driving their vehicles," Othman, who has been a driving instructor for 25 years, told The Daily Star on Thursday. "Many men are completely unaware of traffic laws and act as if the street is their own property," she added.
It was her brother Ali, who owns an office that provides driving lessons in Beirut's southern suburbs, who encouraged her to work with him.
"He told me that there were women who refused that a man give them driving lessons," she said. "No sooner had I agreed to accomplish the mission, dozens of women and girls, particularly those wearing a veil, flocked into the office."
Othman said she "adores" her job, despite the fact that it is a tiring one. "And what annoys me the most is that no one respects the law," she said. "Driving is a responsibility that requires experience and patience, especially in streets like those in Lebanon where chaos is everywhere and traffic accidents are uncountable."
Othman also said that she hopes that women in Saudi Arabia would be allowed to drive. "If my wish comes true, I will be the first one to travel to Saudi Arabia and teach women there the art of driving," she said. - The Daily Star
Copyright The Daily Star 2008.
