Allahu Alim what is the goverments thoughts are ..

But one would say they do have a premise when in countries where women are allowed to drive.. alot of rape and molestation does go on and the car could break down in the middle of the road.. making it unsafe. Such as Sudan.... or yemen... or other well known places. 

We have to remember that although saudis have had access to education ... a large part of the population is still very tribal.

however, agree that the sheikhs are baseless in the opinion and should not restrict driving.. as it goes against the authentic sunnah.. to allow women freedom of movement. I.E. they worked, rode horses and camels, and tended to their own needs.  And the goverment needs to ensure the safety of women and perhaps make a rule restricting a womens travel until they have a proper infrastructure to support the Islamic rulings with regards to travel.  

Also I am sure if the enviroment is difficult for women then they will avoid doing that which would cause potential harm.