◆ サイクリストの事故の英文ニュース記事をあれこれ読んでいて、英語の交通事故の記事では、乗用車の車種まで明記してあることが多いことに気がついた。色や年式まで記されていることもある。その理由はなんだろう。生活における車の重要度の違いだろうか。日本でそこまで報道しないのは、必要がないと判断されているからか、それとも、自動車メーカーにたいする遠慮があるからか。考えてみれば、いろいろおもしろそうだが、いまのところはよくわからない。とりあえず、新聞記事の見本だけ。たとえば、こんなふう。トヨタ・カローラ。

◆ 米国オレゴン州ベンド（Bend）。現在、気温3℃。

◇ 〔The Bulletin：2012/02/13〕 Cyclist injured in Highway 20 crash
A bicyclist suffered minor injuries in a collision with a car east of Bend on Sunday afternoon. The crash took place after bicyclist Victoria Howry, of Bend, crossed in front of a 1989 Toyota Corolla that was driving behind her, according to a Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office news release.
www.bendbulletin.com/article/20120213/NEWS0107/202130334/

◆ 米国モンタナ州ミズーラ（Missoula）。現在、気温12℃。

◇ 〔Missoulian：2012/05/31〕 Missoula bicyclist injured in crash with car
A westbound white Toyota Corolla turning left from Main onto Orange streets at noon Thursday collided with a bicyclist, according to Missoula police.
missoulian.com/news/local/missoula-bicyclist-injured-in-crash-with-car/article_433584ca-ab54-11e1-8891-0019bb2963f4.html

◆ 米国ミネソタ州プライヤー・レイク（Prior Lake）。現在、気温21℃。

◇ 〔KNUJ：2012/06/01〕 Scott County Fatal Crash
A 91-year-old Prior Lake resident is dead after a 3-car pileup on Highway 13 in Scott County Wednesday evening. A Toyota Corolla driven by Florence Bothof of Prior Lake was heading southbound on 13 when it went to turn onto Franklin Trail at just after 5:30pm and was struck by a northbound Ford Focus. Both vehicles then hit a Cadillac CTS that was stopped at the stop sign on Franklin Trail. Bothof was pronounced dead at the scene. The other drivers suffered non life-threatening injuries.
www.knuj.net/2012/06/scott-county-fatal-crash/

◆ 米国バーモント州ブラトルボロ（Brattleboro）。現在、気温10℃。

◇ 〔Brattleboro Reformer：2012/05/17〕 Two-vehicle crash on Putney Road
A two-vehicle crash halted traffic on Putney Road for at least an hour on Thursday afternoon as police, firefighters and rescue personnel assessed the situation. A white Toyota Corolla and a red Ford Escape suffered significant damage and each had to be towed from the scene following a collision near Spring Tree Road's Community High School of Vermont.
www.reformer.com/ci_20648533/two-vehicle-crash-putney-road

◆ カナダ、ブリティッシュコロンビア州ダンカン（Duncan）。現在、気温9℃。Chevron はガソリンスタンド。

◇ 〔Cowichan News Leader Pictorial：2012/05/29〕 Cyclist struck by vehicle near Duncan Chevron
A cyclist was taken to hospital with minor injuries Saturday after being struck by a vehicle near the Duncan Chevron. The collision happened at about 10:40 a.m. at the entrance to the Trans-Canada Highway gas station. North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP spokesman Cpl. Kevin Day said a brown 2009 Toyota Corolla, driven by a 44-year-old Nanaimo woman, was turning into the gas station from the northbound slow lane when the vehicle struck a cyclist who was also travelling north.
www.cowichannewsleader.com/news/155365765.html

◆ カナダ、アルバータ州セント・ポール（St. Paul）。現在、気温12℃。

◇ 〔Edmonton Journa：2012/04/17〕 Woman, 89, survives car crash with semi-trailer near St. Paul
An 89-year-old woman escaped serious injury after her car collided with a semi-trailer during heavy snowfall near St. Paul. Around 10:15 p.m. Monday, emergency services responded to a head-on crash involving a southbound semi and a northbound Toyota Corolla on Highway 36 near Township Road 582.
www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Woman+survives+crash+with+semi+trailer+near+Paul/6469638/story.html

◆ 南アフリカ、ケープタウン（Cape Town）。現在、気温14℃。

◇ 〔Cape Argus：2012/05/14〕 7 die as car, truck collide
The truck, pulling two trailers, was travelling south on the R27 and was turning right towards the Engen 1-Stop at Langebaan Junction. The Toyota Corolla collided with a wheel axle on the first trailer and became lodged underneath, said Rob Nel of SA Paramedics Services.
www.iol.co.za/capeargus/7-die-as-car-truck-collide-1.1296237

◆ あまり車に関心がないので、トヨタ・カローラといってもピンとこないが、《Wikipedia》によると、

◇ 〔Wikipedia：Toyota Corolla〕 　The Toyota Corolla is one of a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, surpassing the Volkswagen Beetle. Over 39 million Corollas have been sold as of 2012. The series has undergone several major redesigns.
　The name Corolla is part of Toyota's naming tradition of using the name Crown for primary models: the Corona, for example, gets its name from the Latin for crown; Corolla is Latin for small crown; and Camry is an Anglicized pronunciation of the Japanese for crown, kanmuri.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Corolla

◆ 1997年には、フォルクスワーゲンの「ビートル（カブトムシ）」を抜いて世界で一番売れたそうだから、数に比例して事故が多いのもあたりまえか。「カローラ」はラテン語で「小さな冠」のことだそう。それから、「カムリ」は日本語の「冠（かんむり）」を英語っぽくしたネーミングであるそう。ちょっと勉強になった。