A Saudi woman was detained after she launched a campaign against the driving ban for women and posted footage of herself behind the wheel on Facebook and YouTube.

Manal al-Sherif and a group of other women started a Facebook page called "Teach me how to drive so I can protect myself," which urges authorities to lift the driving ban.

She went on a test drive in the eastern city of Khobar and later posted a video of the experience.

"This is a volunteer campaign to help the girls of this country" learn to drive, al-Sherif says in the video. "At least for times of emergency, God forbid. What if whoever is driving them gets a heart attack?"

Human rights activist Walid Abou el-Kheir said al-Sherif was detained by the country's religious police, who are charged with ensuring the kingdom's rigid interpretation of Islamic teachings are observed.

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world to ban women - both Saudi and foreign - from driving.

The prohibition forces families to hire live-in drivers, and those who cannot afford the £250 a month for a driver must rely on male relatives to drive them.

Women are also barred from voting, except for chamber of commerce elections in two cities in recent years, and no woman can sit on the kingdom's Cabinet. Women also cannot travel without permission from a male guardian and should not mix with males who are not their husbands or brothers.

Through Facebook, the campaigners are calling for a mass drive on June 17.