Women in Iran can now get official licences to ride motorbikes for the first time as the country removed years of legal uncertainty over two-wheelers in the country, local media reported on Wednesday.
Previously there was no explicit law to prohibit women from riding motorcycles or scooters. However, practically speaking, authorities often refused to issue licences to female riders.
This legal ambiguity left women liable for accidents even though they may or may not have been at fault.
The change follows the signing of a resolution by Iran’s First Vice President, Mohammad Reza Aref, which indicated the clarification of the traffic code on Tuesday.
The resolution, an order approved by the cabinet in late January, directs the traffic police to conduct practical training among female applicants, conduct the examinations under police supervision, and to provide licences of motorcycle in women.
This move is in light of protests that have been held across Iran for months. The demonstrations had started over economic grievances but escalated last month to nationwide anti-government protests.
Tehran said it has recorded over 3,000 people killed in the unrest, but most of them were security personnel or bystanders.
Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iranian women have been severely restricted by law, strict dress codes that make it difficult for women to ride motorcycles.
Women are obligated to wear a headscarf on their heads when in public and modest clothing that is not very revealing. In spite of such rules, in recent years, more and more women have tried to use motorcycles.
The trend received more momentum when Mahsa Amini, a young woman, died in custody after an arrest for allegedly violating the dress code.
Her death sparked revolts across the country, with women openly calling for more freedoms.
The new licence regulation is a formal step to legalization of women’s riders.
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