An Australian hamlet has changed its name to “SpeedKills” to encourage drivers to slow down after a leap in road deaths.
The community of Speed, population 45, has made the switch for a month, while local farmer Phil Down was also temporarily renamed Phil Slow Down at a ceremony on Friday.
“I’m happy to humiliate myself for that cause,” he told AAP news agency.
Photo: Reuters 照片：路透
“I had no hesitation... mostly because we think the campaign is a good initiative.”
The changes are part of a safety campaign in the southeastern state of Victoria after rural road deaths shot up by about 25 percent last year.
A Facebook page set up to promote the campaign generated 10,000 supporters in just 10 hours. SpeedKills is about 400km outside the state capital, Melbourne.
Photo: Reuters 照片：路透
“We’re trying to get people to stay within the speed limits, obey road safety rules [and] realize that when they don’t, people die,” said Phil Reed, a spokesman for Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission.
The official Australian Transport Commission says 32,000 people are killed or seriously injured each year on the sprawling country’s roads, which are often remote and unlit.
(AFP)
一個澳洲的小村莊已改名為「超速致命」，目的是在交通死亡案例驟增後，藉此鼓勵駕駛減速。
Photo: Reuters 照片：路透
人口有四十五人的「速度」社區，更名已有一個月，同時一位當地農民菲爾‧道恩，也在週五的一場典禮暫時改名為菲爾‧減速。
他告訴澳聯社說，「我很高興出於那個原因羞辱自己。」
他說，「我沒有猶豫…主要是因為我們認為這個活動是個值得倡導的新方案。」
這些更名活動是維多利亞州東南部發起的安全運動之一。去年該地區鄉下道路交通死亡人數飆升百分之二十五。
一個專為此活動而設的臉書網頁，成立才十小時，就贏得一萬名網友的支持。「超速致命」距離維州首府墨爾本大約四百公里。
維多利亞交通事故委員會發言人菲爾‧里德說，「我們正試著讓民眾保持在速限內、遵守交通安全法規，並意識到若他們不這麼做，就可能出人命。」
這位澳洲交通委員會官員說，每年有三萬兩千人在蜿蜒的鄉村道路上喪命或受重傷。這些道路多半都較偏遠且昏暗。
（法新社／翻譯：林亞蒂）
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