Road Safety TV channel launched in Armenia

Armenia, Road Safety Governance and Capacity Building

Our EASST partners the National Road Safety Council NGO (NRSC) Armenia have launched an online TV channel focused on road safety and related news.

Last year, the Armenian government was disbanded and reformed with entirely new personnel. At the same time, mass media has become highly politicised making it difficult to share news stories and raise awareness about road safety objectively.

As a result, the NRSC decided to create a YouTube channel with a dedicated focus on road safety news. Launched just last month, the channel has already had thousands of visitors and likes. The channel is updated daily with news on road safety related issues in Armenia and abroad. Reporters cover road safety related events – participating in press conferences, filming special features and interviewing key players and decision makers in the transport sector. To date they have covered stories including:

  • A comparative analysis 2018-2019 road safety data, demonstrating an increase in road traffic crashes.
  • Why right-hand drive vehicles need to be banned in Armenia.
  • The fact that road traffic crashes are not to be described as “accidents” as they are completely preventable.
  • The necessity of installing cameras in public transport for safety reasons.

The launch of the road safety TV channel forms part of the NRSC’s wider project to put road safety back on the political agenda in Armenia. In July this year, NRSC Director Poghos Shahinyan met with the Prime Minister to highlight the need for interdepartmental collaboration when it comes to improving road safety and to encourage the re-establishment of a National Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan – which expired in 2015.

As a result of this meeting, the Prime Minister approved the creation of a road safety committee to address the road safety situation in the country. The committee was established by the end of August and includes representatives from various government departments as well as the road police and three NGOs, including the NRSC.

With this renewed momentum and a growing level of public support for addressing the issue, the NRSC are hopeful that in 2020 there will be a significant reduction in road related casualties in the country.

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