Prevention Through the BOB Campaign: Stay Safe with a Blood Alcohol Content of Zero

It’s not just an issue during Carnival season—it’s a year-round problem: drunk driving. Once again this year, the entire 11th-grade class, led by Steinmühlen teachers Nicole Hohm and Heike Rabben-Martin, learned about the dangers as part of the so-called BOB project. For over five years, the Marburg-Biedenkopf Police Regional Traffic Division and the Marburg District Attorney’s Office have been partners in this prevention event. Police Chief Inspector Martin Frank and District Attorney Tina Grün are already a well-established team working together on the workshop.
The BOB campaign is a pillar of the traffic prevention program “www.verkehrssicher-in-mittelhessen.de.” Its primary goal is to reduce serious traffic accidents caused by the influence of alcohol or drugs. The campaign is primarily aimed at first-time drivers aged 18 to 24, as they are disproportionately likely to be involved in such accidents.

 

Handling Critical Situations

Throughout the morning, the students not only viewed photos of vehicles involved in accidents and watched authentic videos about alcohol-related accidents and their consequences, but they also discussed ways to prevent driving under the influence and how to find solutions in such situations, such as when, for example, a group has relied in vain on one person to abstain from alcohol.
The BOB campaign, symbolized by a yellow keychain, is about reliably taking on the responsibility to drive oneself and passengers home—by mutual agreement and without consuming alcohol—after a group outing to a restaurant or nightclub. The restaurants participating in the BOB campaign support the initiative by offering a free non-alcoholic beverage to the designated driver.
Heike Rabben-Martin described the school event as “not only important for the cause, but also effective in building a relationship between young people and the police. It brings the world into the school,” she said.