The orientation session for a Media Fellowship on strengthening Road Safety Legislation for 25 journalists was held at the conference hall of Young Women Christian Association ( YWCA) the in Dhaka.
The fellowship is provided under the project of the Strengthening Road Safety Legislation on Key Behavioral Risk Factors in Bangladesh through Media Development, an initiative of the Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC).
BNNRC organized orientation session at the YWCA in Dhaka where twenty-five journalists attended the program and Six veteran and senior journalists are working as mentors to guide the fellows.
A total of 25 Fellows from print, television, and registered online will produce 75 reports on Comprehensive Road Safety, Road safety law, the safe system approach, and other Road safety-related issues.
This fellowship empowers media professionaprogrammeurnalists, content creators, and digital media practitioners — to produce impactful, evidence-based stories highlighting road traffic crashes' human, social, and economic consequences. Through the initiative, BNNRC intends to promote safer mobility, encourage policy dialogue, and foster behavior change through compelling storytelling.
Accorsing to the policy, selected 25 fellows will receive mentorship, training, and financial support for research and development of the media content across diverse formats, including print, broadcast, and digital platforms. The fellowship aligns with BNNRC’s broader commitment to leveraging media for constructive journalism for road safety in Bangladesh.
The Fellowship's primary objectives were to draw the attention of the media houses to highlight more reports on comprehensive road safety laws. It is now the demand of the hour to increase awareness among all stakeholders, to conduct extensive publicity about implementing and enforcing road safety policies and laws.
BNNRC, as one of the members of the Road Safety Coalition Bangladesh, has been working tirelessly to enhance the capacity of the media in road safety through its Road Safety Coalition Bangladesh (RSCB) since 2022 and provided Training Trainers for journalists and trained 40 journalists in print, television, and online to acquire specialized skills in preparing reports on road safety and provided fellowships to 10 journalists to prepare in-depth reports on comprehensive road safety.
The 10 journalists have prepared a total of 40 reports while three veterans and senior journalists served as mentors during the fellowship period.
Target 3:6 of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) calls for halving the number of deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents globally by 2030 while Target 11:2 of the SDG calls for ensuring access to safe and sustainable transport for all by 2030 through the expansion of public transport and improving road safety.
In line with the safe system approach, the Bangladesh government is dedicated to developing and enacting its inaugural national road safety law by 2027 while
a central database system is set to be established by 2026 to comprehensively collect, store, and manage information regarding road crashes, encompassing pertinent details such as crash specifics, vehicle-related injuries, sustained injuries, and fatalities from diverse sources.
To enhance road safety measures, the government will also formulate a speed limit management guideline by 2026, ensuring effective implementation of the motor vehicle speed limit guideline introduced in 2024. In addition, reflecting its commitment to safety, Bangladesh will develop appropriate guidelines for implementing and enforcing helmet standards by 2026.