SYDNEY - 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.
"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 400 kilometres
(250 miles) outside the state capital, Melbourne.
"We're trying to get people to stay within the speed limits,
obey road safety rules (and) realise 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.