Banglalink Ennovators 3.0 champions Team Silver Lining promises safe roads

With an objective to tackle road safety issues, Team Silver Lining, the champions from Banglalink Ennovators 3.0, came up with the idea of having a real-time fitness tracking device to provide On Board Diagnostics (OBD) for all vehicles across the country.

Four young innovators, Farah Tasnim Hossain from East West University and Irfan Uddin from University of Dhaka, along with Shahriar Raihan Sakib and Ferdows Abid Chowdhury from Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP), came up with this idea during their 24-hour boot camp at BRAC CDM. "The brainstorming session at BRAC CDM was the best part of the whole experience for me. We were brought together in one platform and made into a group in the digital gamification session. Then, we had to work as a team," shares Sakib. "We had 24 hours to some up with an innovative idea and find ways to execute it."

Ferdows thought of installing motor vehicles with OBD ever since BUP student Abrar Ahmed Chowdhury's road accident in March this year. "We always wanted to come up with an initiative that helps to reduce road accidents in the country," mentions Ferdows. "Upon research, we found out that despite the BRTA authority asking buses and trucks to obtain their fitness certificates, around half of them do not visit BRTA offices for inspections.  Improper car conditions may lead to technical malfunctions in the vehicle's braking system and its speeding ratios, causing deadly road accidents in return."

Team Silver Lining aims to create an online based monitoring system, through which the models, drivers and locations of vehicles can be tracked. "We want to make sure that all the cars are in proper condition and the drivers are fit to drive. Even though OBD systems have been installed in many other countries across the world, we have not yet come across this tracking system in Bangladesh," mentions Farah.

"We want a smooth online system to access all information without hassle. To that end, we want to incorporate Banglalink's server by installing sim cards for each OBD device. This way, the process becomes much easier," says Irfan. The team also plans to collaborate with the government of Bangladesh to ensure that this facility is made compulsory for all vehicles. "We are going on a trip to Banglalink's parent company, VEON's HQ, in Amsterdam. We look forward to presenting our idea to the authorities as soon as we return," concludes Irfan.