There are some countries where driving is extremely dangerous because of the lack of road laws. One of these countries is Egypt, where getting a license is much easier than in developed countries, and there are few guidelines when it comes to keeping traffic in line. Of all the about 20 million drivers on the road in Cairo, Egypt’s capital, women are seen as by far the worst. This is because many Egyptian women are uncomfortable in the car with men and therefore are never taught how to drive. A few women have stepped up to the plate to teach woman the rules of the road with a female-only driving school, called Direxiona.
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CBS News interviewed one Cairo resident named Eman Rawy about her driving record. Rawy said that she earned her license and asked her husband for driving lessons. After that fell through, she relied on the internet to teach her how to drive. For about eight years, she made do with what she knew, but was too scared to venture outside of her neighborhood.
About two years ago, Direxiona was founded with 20 female instructors to teach other women how to drive. These ladies teach students how to make their way through the streets of the busy capital, which are full of pedestrians (jaywalking is not a crime here) and cars darting and swerving around. Direxiona and its founder Nayroud Talaat agree that Cairo’s streets will never be perfectly safe as long as traffic laws do not exist, but they are working towards taking away the stigma that women are the drivers causing the problems on the streets. So far, Direxiona has trained about 150 drivers and they look forward to teaching many more.
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All of this is well and good, but what effect does Direxiona have on its students? Eman Rawy heard an ad on the radio and took a class with the group. She is now so comfortable behind the wheel that she is now working for an Egyptian version of Uber. When women drive well, they can open up their world beyond their neighborhood. We hope that Direxiona continues its good work in Egypt.
News Source: CBS News
