Non-Bob
Parents of Road Victims + VIAS
Issue 59 | June 2021
Agency
Happiness Brussels, an FCB Alliance
Creative Team
Geoffrey Hantson, Katrien Bottez, Tom Berth, Geert De Rocker, Joris Van der Plaetsen, Dries Lauwers, Jonathan Kalifat
Production Team
Diederik Jeangout, Fledge, Bart Vande Maele, Arthur De Wachter, Raygun, Roeland Jeangout, Francis Bosschem, Jaan&Michiel, Maxime Lahousse
Other Credits
Remke Faber, Karlien Huygels, Hans Smets
Date
February 2021
Background
In Belgium ‘Bob’ is a first name. But it has come to mean ‘designated driver’ as a result of a campaign that has been running since 1995. For 25 consecutive years, when the Police stopped drivers for alcohol checks, they have given out Bob keyrings to drivers who didn’t drink. Though 98% of all Belgians know exactly what Bob means, they still continue to drink and drive. One in five road accidents is due to alcohol.
Idea
The Belgian Traffic Institute VIAS together with the organisation Parents of Road Victims launched a new version of the well-known Bob keyring. The Police started to hand out keyrings to people who had consumed alcohol. These non-Bob keyrings used the same typical font and the same yellow colour as the iconic Bob logo but bore the names of children who had been killed by drivers under the influence of drink. Axelle, Corwin, Nathan, Laetitia.
Drivers who were caught in an alcohol check could exchange afterwards their ‘non-Bob’ key ring for a traffic course at VIAS, where the influence of alcohol on drivers’ behaviour was examined in detail.
As well as their keyrings, the campaign also comprised a film and a website where the stories of all eight young victims were told by their relatives.
Results
The campaign is still running. In the meantime, over 2,000 ‘Non-Bob’ keyrings have been given to drink-drivers. Nothing to be proud of obviously since the best result would be a complete change in behaviour.
Our Thoughts
When drivers got nabbed by the Police, with the keyring came the story of the child. As the video advertising shows, what drivers now held in their hands was both testimony to what had happened to another motorist and to what might have been for them.
A powerful reminder that accidents aren’t impersonal. They are very, very personal.
Even though they had not killed anyone themselves, in driving under the influence they were complicit in the deaths of Laetitia, Axelle and Philippe. No wonder they were tearful.