Belgium Strikes Lowest

Drink Driving Record

Belgium stroke its lowest ever drink driving record with its latest BOB winter campaign resulting in just 1,8% positive alcohol tests, the lowest percentage since the start of the campaigns.

During the latest effort a total of 427,603 drivers were checked by the Federal Highway Police and Local Police branches. Of these, 1.80% were positive.

Control

During this edition, the number of inspections increased sharply compared to last year (207,748 in 2022). The reason is allegedly the COVID omicron strain, which hampered police breathalyzer tests throughout Europe. This time around, the lowest percentage of positive drivers since the creation of the BOB campaigns was achieved with Police seeing this as a proof that the combination of awareness and controls is effective.

Effect

“From 2023, BOB will be present throughout the year via social networks as well as in certain places where people buy alcohol. The aim is to deter drivers at all times from driving when they have consumed alcohol. This ongoing awareness is essential: if no one drove over the legal limit, we could save 115 lives on our roads every year”, said campaign organizers VIAS Institute.

Koen RicourFight

"As always, the Federal Highway Police was one of BOB's partners. This time there is a clear decrease compared to the previous winter edition. Despite this decline, the message seems not to have percolated to all drivers yet. We will relentlessly pursue the fight against driving under the influence in order to avoid human tragedies. It is important to us to fulfill our primary mission, which is to guarantee road safety. In this year 2023, we will still be present for the good of everyone”, said ROADPOL Council Member, Divisional Commissioner Koen Ricour, Director of the Federal Highway Police.