The decision by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman to permit women to drive has produced widespread international coverage, all of it praising the move. Women in the Kingdom also clearly appreciate the change, for which a vocal lobby has been pushing in recent years.

The King said that scholars had found that as long as the necessary Shariah guarantees are ensured, there was nothing that prevented a woman from driving. There have long been reservations among some religious leaders about female motoring. The conservative values that underpin the Kingdom have always been a source of strength. In a world driven by liberal values, criticizing Saudi Arabia’s cautious and thoughtful approach to change was an easy win for those who fear the Kingdom’s power and influence.

Such detractors willfully ignore the reality that a conservative approach to life does not mean that change is impossible. One only has to look around at the extraordinary advances that have been made in the transformation of the Kingdom into a modern and vibrant state to see that change is very much part of the agenda. But that change is, as it always has been, evolutionary. Dramatic gestures and media soundbites have never been the way Saudi Arabia operates. Even the stunning Vision 2030 program unveiled by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman is an extension of the steady progress that has already been made.

The Kingdom has been the only country that continued to ban women from getting behind the wheel of an automobile. The result was that those who wished to travel had to do so with a male relative or with a chauffeur. As of June, once the necessary legal and regulatory changes have been put in place, Saudi women will be able to drive themselves.

This is likely to have one major economic impact. It is estimated that there are around 800,000 foreign nationals who work here as chauffeurs. For many ordinary families, the need to employ, house and feed a driver takes a significant lump out of their income. The alternative has been to have a male relative do the driving, but this is often irksome and disrupts that man’s working life.

While there must be sympathy for all the chauffeurs who next year are likely to be losing their jobs and will have to return to their countries, the fact is that their departure will mean a substantial saving, not just in terms of domestic budgets, but also in terms of a sharp reduction in the outflow of money from the Kingdom.

There is likely to be a rush by women to earn their driving licenses. It must be hoped that arrangements are made to have sufficient qualified instructors ready to give training. And it must also be hoped that the instruction given to new female drivers will be of a high order. Saudi Arabian roads are among the world’s most dangerous, in large measure because of bad and inconsiderate driving behavior. In the short-term, as newly-qualified women drivers get used to regular motoring, it is likely that their inexperience will add to the hazards all drivers face. However, it is also possible that having waited so long for the change in the law, women will make a point of driving with a level of care and consideration that is, unfortunately, all too lacking at present.