There’s a new advocate for road safety. Her name is “Betty Go-slow” and she’s a mannequin.
The Telegraph reports that 59-year-old Julia Askew of Aston Ingham, Herefordshire, has parked Betty alongside a country road asking them to please mind the speed limit. She changes Betty’s outfits regularly: “At first I just put up the sign, but then I thought it would be nice to have a bit of fun with it. Initially I dressed her in a high-viz police jacket and I think that worked for a lot of people,” Askew informed the paper.
“But it is possible that these latest outfits get the most attention. Where I live is the first bend after the 30mph sign, so people come round here really fast,” she added.
Happily, Betty has her own Facebook page, where she posts messages like the following:
Betty here on the B4222 in Aston Ingham. Sporting a natty headscarf I am feeling very queen like in my new spotty dress but always with an eye to road safety, particularly on county roads like the one I hang out on. With the lovely autumn colours come some additional hazards for drivers to be aware of; Wet leaves will increase braking distances, which means we need to slow down particularly when we have no idea what is around the next bend. Poor light, fog , low sun, and big tractors with trailers full of potatoes well across into the middle of the road are just a few more considerations at this time of year. So Slow Down, take care and get home safe.
Doesn’t she look great?
And from the day she busted out a bottle of wine:
So, I have taken to the drink, I got such a shock yesterday when a van and a lorry nearly crashed on the road next to me. Both must have been speeding and one was over in the middle of the road. Check out the skid marks. I have had to change my clothes too!. but perhaps something warmer is a good idea, I was a bit chilly in my shorts. Please slow down, I am really worried about the speed that people do around the bends.
Some passersby worry that Betty is perhaps not the best vehicle for this message. “Her heart is in the right place, but you’d have thought if the average bloke sees a sexy woman by the road it might be a bit distracting,” one man told the Telegraph. But cheers to Betty Go-slow, another local hero trying to make a difference in her community.