The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior has announced that women who wear the niqab or burqa while driving will face fines ranging between 30 and 50 Kuwaiti dinars under the country's updated traffic laws.
The ministry clarified that the regulation is aimed at enhancing road safety, as covering the face while driving could obstruct vision and reduce attentiveness, increasing the risk of accidents.
Authorities also cited security concerns, stating that drivers wearing the niqab are difficult to identify through surveillance cameras, making law enforcement and traffic monitoring more challenging.
The ministry further emphasized that Kuwait has had a ban on wearing the niqab while driving since 1984, but the clarification was issued in response to social media discussions questioning whether the practice constitutes a traffic violation.