Woman without car asked to pay traffic fine

When a Saudi husband was told his wife would not get her passport back before paying a traffic fine, instead of getting upset, he just burst into laughter. For women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive.

His wife Hania Al Barkati had told her husband about her surprise when she received a letter from the Passports Department in the western Red Sea port of Jeddah saying that she must first pay a fine for not renewing her driving licence.

“Hania’s husband expressed great surprise over the alleged violation - because women are not allowed to drive in the Kingdom,” the Saudi Arabic language Okaz newspaper reported on Sunday.

“He said he burst into laughter when a Passport Department officer in Jeddah told him about it. He was perplexed by the seriousness of the officer who asked him to pay the fine immediately and thought he was joking.”

The paper said the officer in charge told him to pay the fine, so the passport application could proceed.

“When Al-Barkati received a copy of the violation slip, she discovered that it was registered nine years ago in Rabigh, a city she has never visited, and that it has doubled since then, to SR600, because it was not paid.”