In the Netherlands, there may also be a counterpart to the BOB campaign that has already started in Belgium. Drunk drivers are given the name of a child who was killed by alcohol in traffic as a key ring.
In Belgium they have reversed the principle of the BOB campaign. It is precisely there that drivers who run into the lamp during an alcohol check receive a key fob. It contains the name of a child who was killed by someone sitting behind the wheel of his or her car with alcohol on it. It must of course have a confrontational effect. Whoever receives such a key ring will also hear the story behind the name. You can then hand in the key ring, after which an ‘awareness-raising course’ is offered. This, of course, is in addition to all other penalties.
The initiative has now also penetrated politically here in the Netherlands. Traffic network reports that CDA MP Wytske Postma has asked Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen whether such a campaign can also be introduced in the Netherlands. Van Nieuwenhuizen says he will investigate this. She is in discussion with VIAS, the Belgian road safety authority, about the effects of the campaign. It is not yet entirely certain how much VIAS can say about the effects, as it is an initiative of a private organization (Parents of Accidental Children) and an evaluation by VIAS is not yet certain. Anyway, Van Nieuwenhuizen says he will work on it.