Bob anti-drink driving campaign stepped up for festive period

Bob – Belgium’s campaign to increase awareness of the importance of not drinking and driving is back for the festive season and is getting bigger.

In the winter campaign organised by the Vias road safety institute, federal police, Belgian Brewers and Assuralia, police across the country will be increasing alcohol checks everywhere, day and night, until 3 February. "Bob" means "designated driver".

For Hainaut road police spokesman Eric Vander Elst, with the festive period in full swing, it is essential to have fun but be safe. And if not, penalties are severe, reaching up to €16,000, with licences taken away for five years.

For example, during the night of 29-30 November, 685 vehicles’ drivers were checked with breath tests and 3.06% of them tested positive. Some of these checks caused major traffic problems, with traffic jams of more than two hours on some motorway exits.

Drivers exceeding a level of 1.2% alcohol in their blood risk having their licence taken away immediately for 15 days. Some 46,712 drivers received warnings for drink-driving in 2023, about 130 every day. The average blood alcohol level of offending drivers was more than three times the legal limit.

Some 11 accidents per week are due to alcohol, and more at weekends, according to the Vias road safety institute.

Vias spokesman Benoit Godart told the RTBF that 42% of road accidents taking place at the weekend are alcohol-related. This is “a really huge amount,” he said, calling for drivers to be particularly vigilant at this time, particularly at night.

In collaboration with Belgium’s Pro League football and the Christmas markets, Bob wants to reduce this large percentage of drink-related accidents.

Action started already on 29 November at the Kortrijk-Mechelen football match. Supporters could test their alcohol levels before driving home. Drivers with alcohol-free results received a collector’s key ring in the colours of their football club. Some 16 different key chains were created for the campaign.

“We felt it was important to involve football players, as football and road accidents have often been linked,” Godart added.

“Each match day, 100,000 spectators attend Pro League games,” said Pro League chief executive Lorin Parys.

“Every weekend, 1.3 million players, fans and parents go to amateur and youth matches. With this campaign, we are targeting about 350,000 designated drivers each week.”

Indeed, Bob is not only visiting clubs like FC Liège, La Louvière and Anderlecht, but it will also be present in all first division stadiums.

Awareness-raising messages are being displayed on LED panels at the pitches and relayed on the clubs’ social media channels, with the support of the players themselves.

In some stadiums, fun activities are organised. At Kortrijk, supporters wore goggles simulating the effects of alcohol during a half time mini-match.

Bob is targeting Christmas markets too. The campaign is present at Brussels’ Winter Wonders and at the markets in Verviers, Hasselt and Leuven. Visitors driving home sober from these festivities may also receive the famous Bob keyring as a reward.

Vias institute ran its first Bob end-of-year drink-drive campaign in 1995. Since then, Vias said Bob had grown to become an “international brand icon and outstanding best practice in the area of awareness about driving under the influence of alcohol”.

The campaign is proving successful. A 5% decrease in alcohol-related incidents for 2023 (3,907), was seen compared to 2022, while drink-related accidents in general have gone down 23% since 2010.