Speed to be renamed SpeedKills after successful campaign

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By Tim Beissmann | January 20th, 2011

The tiny Mallee town of Speed in rural Victoria will officially change its name to ‘SpeedKills’ after 10,000 people ‘liked’ the Traffic Accident Commission-supported road safety movement on Facebook.

It took less than 24 hours for 10,000 people to like the ‘Rename Speed’ page, meaning that the TAC will give $10,000 to the local Lion’s Club to change the town’s signs.

Speed (around 350km north-west of Melbourne) will be known as SpeedKills for a month to highlight the Victorian Government’s road safety message.

The campaign has drawn widespread support from people right across Australia. It always was going to need some external support, as Speed’s population is just 45.

With the passing of another milestone – 20,000 likes – in the past 24 hours, local farmer Phil Down will also change his name to Phil ‘Slow Down’ for a month to further support the cause.

People who liked the Rename Speed campaign pledged that they would drive safely and obey the speed limit in an attempt to reduce the number of needless deaths on the road.

A total of 147 people died on rural and regional roads in Victoria in 2010, up from 131 in 2009.

According to the Facebook page, speed is a factor in 30 percent of all fatal collisions, and your chance of a crash doubles for every 5km/h over 60km/h.

You can support the Rename Speed campaign by liking the Facebook page and pledging to stick to the speed limit.

Nick

They should change it to “Speedkills when your driving to fast on a crappy, pot hole filled, corrigated country road when you were never taught how to drive properly in the first place”
Gibbo

From the words of Jeremy Clarkson “Speed doesn’t kill. Suddenly becoming stationary – thats what gets you!” Our society is becoming brain washed by this anti speed progaganda.
Shak

The VicRoads people are some of the smartest marketers out there. They now they have a brainwashed population to play with and they are using it to their advantage. Until our society realises that Speed only kills in the hands or inexperienced drivers(i.e almost everyone out there), we will constantly have to put up with the stigma.
jr

its not speed that kills, its the lunatic behind the wheel hurtling towards u!!
why is no there no emphasis on driver training!?!?!

bob

although you are totally correct, you forget the all important factor – that driver training costs money, whereas fining motorists creates money.

fines are a good reason not to speed (apart from the obvious ones), but only better and better driver training will improve the level of australian driving (resulting in a lower death toll) – which if youve ever driven in europe, you will realise is pretty poor.
ST

The return on investment of an improved driver training is low when you compare it to revenue cameras.

This whole thing is not about safety.

bir6y

Speed doesn’t kill, lack of concentration does. If a driver was paying 100% attention of the road conditions and feedback from their vehicle, they would not of had the accident at all. Unfortunately it is easier for government to bash into people’s mind to do 40km/ph everywhere, so when the drivers mind does wander, the accident will unlikely be fatal.
Vins

In every other fields, we are encouraged/required to run faster, do faster, work faster, why when come to driving we are constantly told to drive slow? Slow in driving means more time on roads, thus increase risks of accidents. By the time you get to your workplace you are more tired because of all the time you spent on slow moving traffic, and thus, lower overall productivity for everything. In the end we start complaining not able to compete with other nations?!

I think we should have better road and training. If those who can’t drive at speed, they shouldn’t be behind the steering wheel.

By the way, has anyone complained about race hourses run too fast?

JEKYL & HYDE

you don’t know much about what really goes in with horse racing,do you???…

Vins

In every other fields, we are encouraged/required to run faster, do faster, work faster, why when come to driving we are constantly told to drive slow? Slow in driving means more time on roads, thus increase risks of accidents. By the time you get to your workplace you are more tired because of all the time you spent on slow moving traffic, and thus, lower overall productivity for everything. In the end we start complaining not able to compete with other nations?!

I think we should have better road and training. If those who can\’t drive at speed, they shouldn\’t be behind the steering wheel.

By the way, has anyone complained about race hourses run too fast?
http://www.AUSmotive.com Liam

Hmm, I thought you had to go a bit further west for this…

Snowtown kills!
ST

If speed kills, then why are we driving at all? 1km/h is a speed, so is 60km/h. Which is it State Govt Pty Ltd?
Andrew M

I think everyone takes the slogan too literally.

As this article even states, 30% of fatalities have speed as a factor.
It should probably say excessive speed to keep the pedantic people happy.

Speed is a factor in killing people, they never say it will definately kill you like some people seem to be taking the p*ss about.

People accept that getting shot with a gun will kill you, so we never play with guns, even though guns wont always definately kill you.

Whenever this “speed” issue comes up people just dont seem accepting of it. I know ill probably get slammed with thumbs down, but the governments message is true, but perhaps not worded exactlly right for the pedantic people out there

Dwnzi

Pentacle = pedantic (auto speller)

Yonny

Oh, FFS! How lame and stupid can you get. If VicRoads wants to muck around with place-names there’s a town in the US called Wankers Corner – sounds like an appropriate place for them to meet to dream up their silly attention-grabbing stunts while ignoring their real responsibilities.

Christ I am so sick of this rubbish.

JEKYL & HYDE

he hears you yonny,but can’t do much.there all headed south…

Bundy

Why don’t they use the revenue from speeding drivers to teach drivers actually how to drive ???

BOB

No because that would be the normal and benificial idea for the public. Thats a brilliant idea Bundy but the police would never do that because they would loose money.

Homer

Bob, it’s State Politicians who are addicted to road revenue,not the police. They are merely the debt collectors for their masters.

laurie

Wonder how many people are driving around with under inflated tires while so called speeding. Some of the tires I have seen on people cars in shopping centres car parks makes me think quite a few let alone tyre wear!

Homer

And, while it is illegal to drive a couple of km’s over the speed limit, it’s perfectly legal to buy cheap retread tyres that have zero grip and dramatic increases in stopping distances. Dear Politician which is more dangerous and which could be fixed by taking 20 minutes to review the data and passing legislation?

Yobsta

“According to the Facebook page, speed is a factor in 30 percent of all fatal collisions ”

Bizarre.

So in the other 70% of fatal collisions, the cars weren’t moving?

My Cars Called T-Rex

LOL.

Yobsta

Cheers, I’m here all week.

Looking forward to responses from some of the more deranged ‘speed-kills’ nuts (i.e. all of them).

ElecEng

Maybe the cars stopped moving and then they died…oh wait…

Yobsta

But that didn’t happen in the aforementioned 30% of fatal collisions?

Sorry mate. Fail.

stuzz

Very Lame.
Heath

I was fortunate enough to do a defensive driver course both for cars and trucks at the Driver Education Centre of Australia in Shepparton. I learnt invaluable lessons about what do do and what NOT to do in very ‘controlled’ but still scary situations. The courses are not cheap, but I think there needs to be government subsidies put in place so new drivers can attend. Maybe the insurance companies could reduce premiums for drivers who have attended. It’s probably been said before, but compared to the amount of training done overseas, Australia seems lacking in this regard.
Carl

Fatigue at boring speeds on long streches of poor roads KILL !!!! much more than 130kph speed limits

Nick

Couldnt agree more Carl. Our highways are sleeping pills and there are many cars out there are easily capable of doing 130kmh safely however there are plently of cars on the road that should not be doing these speeds…… Mind you they will be the ones doind 10 below the limit in the right hand lane and wondering why they are being flicked off by everyone that undertakes them.

Sumpguard

If that town was serious about the road toll they’d change the name of the place to “Fatigue Kills”. More appropriate in a sleepy country town.
Hansome_AL

So after reading so many of the comments, we need more cities named to “Driver”, “Training”, “Concentration”, “Road”, and “Tyre”. Then they will put on facebook their city names and see what message they can come up with.. like “Driver” -> “StupidDriver Kills” -> “Training” -> “LackTranining Kills”, “Concentration” -> “Concentration Camps”, “Roads” –> “Roadskill” (that one is read as Road Skill..) and “TyreKills”.

And for any commentators that say speed does not kill, perhaps this Speed town is talking more about Speed that popular for teenagers and college students.. Hit 2 stones with 1 bird eh..
Crownleyian

Idiots!

Stupidity and exaggerated speeding kills!
filippo

Latest news from SpeedKills is that local resident and town gossip Beryl Moore is now changing her name to Beryl MooreRevenueForGovernment, local priest Father Brian Heider will now be called Father Brainwash Hidefacts and local butcher, greengrocer, plumber, mayor and Aston Martin dealer Barry O’Flannagan is changing his name to Barry O’FlabbergastedThatPeopleFallForSuchBollocks.
Save It for the track

This was initiated by the people in the town of Speed. The way it was reported in other media (more comprehensively for a change), the townspeople say that many seem to want to speed excessively through the town due to the name.
.
Wasn’t this a story on ACA or TT or one of them, with the townspeople saying they wanted the numbers on Facebook to get the moneyfrom the TAC to change the name?
PaUL

Speed doesn’t kill. Excessive speeding can kill as can oblivious drivers, poorly maintaned cars, poorly maintained roads etc.
Car Fanatic

Well I won’t be driving through that town if it kills you.
jack

How your freedom is being eroded

“It is the absolute right of the State to supervise the formation of public opinion”.
Quote; Joseph Goebbels
> And so is the Australian Safety Nazi movement supported by the national police force, which is admitting to be, not citizens of this country in charge of policing, but they are better then the average citizen and calling them self “ Paramilitary Organization” in charge of order in this country.

“By the skillful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise”.
Quote; Adolf Hitler
> If I tell you that speed kills and you are damned to hell if you are not listening to me long enough, then you will ask me to guard you with a Kalashnikov.

“Think of the press as a great keyboard on which the government can play”.
Quote; Joseph Goebbels
> And so is the Australian media. They love it because it is always a good HooHaa when they can bash somebody. The money Till is making noises like a Pokie machine hitting a jackpot. Never mind if it is right or wrong as long it is making clingadingadong.

“Education is dangerous – every educated person is a future enemy”.
Quote; Hermann Goering
> And that is why Australian kids can’t read and write when they finish school. But make always sure that there is Beer, Pub and Footy.

“All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach”.
Quote; Adolf Hitler
>Speed Kills! And nothing ever will happen to you if you allow us to fit a speed camera on every corner. Well you see? WE ARE ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR SAFETY!