Dare Babalola
Iranian women can now officially get a licence to ride motorcycles, according to local media reports on Wednesday, bringing an end to years of uncertainty around the issue.
Previously, the law didn’t explicitly ban women from riding motorbikes, but in reality, authorities wouldn’t issue licences, effectively blocking them from doing so.
Women have been unfairly held liable for accidents in the past, even when they were the victims, due to the unclear laws surrounding motorcycle riding.
Iran’s First Vice President, Mohammad Reza Aref, signed a resolution on Tuesday aimed at clarifying the traffic code, which had been approved by the cabinet in late January, according to Ilna news agency.
The resolution obliges traffic police to “provide practical training to female applicants, organise an exam under the direct supervision of the police, and issue motorcycle driver’s licences to women”, Ilna said.
The change follows a wave of protests across Iran that were initially sparked by economic grievances but which grew last month into nationwide anti-government demonstrations.
Tehran has acknowledged that more than 3,000 deaths occurred during the unrest, insisting that most were members of the security forces and bystanders.
Since Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution, women have faced a number of societal restrictions, with dress codes posing a challenge for those riding motorcycles.
Women must cover their hair with a headscarf in public and wear modest, loose-fitting clothing, but in recent years, many have defied those rules, with the number of women on motorbikes rising sharply in recent months.
This trend accelerated after the 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman arrested for allegedly violating the dress code.
Her death sparked protests across Iran by women demanding greater freedoms.
