Australian town becomes ‘SpeedKills’

A small town in the Australian Outback has changed its name to SpeedKills in an attempt to increase road safety (BBC News).

According to the BBC News report, the blink-and-you’d-miss-it town called Speed, in the countryside of Victoria, is changing its name for a month hoping it will persuade drivers to slow down on country roads.

Speed is hoping to become something of a global, internet sensation with the launch of this novel safety campaign.

The idea was the brainchild of the Victoria Transport Accident Commission, which soon won over Speed’s 45 residents.

Such was their enthusiasm, that they even made a video as part of the campaign, which has already proved a hit on the social networking site Facebook.

While the campaign is running, one local resident has even agreed to change his own name. Phil Down, a local wheat and sheep farmer, will become Phil Slow Down.

It is hoped the idea will catch on around the world. Road safety officials in Victoria have already identified five towns in the United States called Speed which it hopes will support name changes of their own.

Click here to read the full BBC News report, or click here to visit the ‘Rename Speed’ Facebook page.