VOA原文 - How Will Driverless Technology Change Our Lives?（Part 1)

HowWillDriverlessTechnologyChangeOurLives?（如遇音频播...

Almost every day, we hear about a new development in the world of driverless technology. But how will this technology change our lives when cars no longer need humans to drive them?

几乎每一天，我们都能听到一项在无人驾驶技术领域新的进展。但当汽车不再需要人类驾驶时，这项技术将如何改变我们的生活？

Major automakers are now researching and testing driverless cars.

目前主要的汽车制造商都在研究和测试无人驾驶汽车。

Technology companies like Apple, Google and Uber are also working to bring driverless technology to market.

像苹果、谷歌和Uber这样的科技公司也正在努力把无人驾驶技术推向市场。

James Anderson is a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation. He is also an expert on driverless transportation. He said the first stage of the technology is already here. The technology allows cars to change lanes, control speed and warn drivers of hazards.

James Anderson是兰德公司的一名高级行为科学家。他也是一个无人驾驶方面的专家。他说，该技术的第一阶段已经到位了。该技术可以让汽车改变车道，控制速度，并在遇到危险时警告司机。

“The idea is that drivers first use these, and then become more confident to use the technology more,” he said. “But the risk of that is that research suggests people tend to over rely on the equipment, and may or may not be able to jump back in and take over on short notice.”

“一般的想法是先让司机使用这些，在他们变得更有信心之后，使用更多的技术。”他说：“但这样做的风险是，有研究表明人们往往过度依赖于设备，在突发情况下，可能可以，也可能无法跳回到人工掌控的模式”

In May, a driver was killed while using the“Autopilot” feature on a Tesla car. It was the first known U.S.death involving a car operating in self-drive mode.

在5月，一位司机在特斯拉汽车上使用“自动驾驶”功能时出车祸身亡。这是美国第一个涉及到自动驾驶汽车的死亡案例。

Officials said the crash happened in Florida when atractor-trailer turned in front of the Tesla Model S. Investigators said it appeared the car’s cameras failed to differentiate between the large white side of the tractor-trailer and the brightly lit sky.

官员说，事故发生在佛罗里达州，一辆拖车在一辆S型特斯拉前转向导致车祸。调查人员说，看起来好像是汽车的相机没有区分拖车侧边的白色和明亮天空的颜色。

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it is investigating the accident, as well as the design and performance of Tesla’s Autopilot system.

国家公路交通安全管理局表示他们正在调查这起事故，同时也在调查特斯拉自动驾驶系统的设计和性能。

The driver of the truck told the Associated Press the driver of the car was “playing Harry Potter on the TV screen” before the crash.

拖车的司机告诉美联社，在撞车之前，这辆车的司机在电视屏幕上播放电影《哈利·波特》。

The Florida Highway Patrol confirmed it found a portable DVD player in the car after the accident. But it could not confirm whether a movie was playing at the time of the crash.

佛罗里达州高速公路巡逻队确认，在事故发生后，在车上发现了一个便携式的影碟机。但不能确定在撞车时是否是在播放电影。

Tesla’s founder, Elon Musk, expressed condolences for the accident. Tesla said it was the first known death in more than 200 million kilometers driven with its Autopilot system.

特斯拉创始人Elon Musk对事故表示慰问。特斯拉说这是自动驾驶系统操控的2亿公里驾驶路程中第一个死亡案例。

Autopilot allows the car to steer itself in a lane, change lanes, and speed up or slow down based on nearby traffic. Tesla said the system is designed only to assist drivers, who must manually turn it on.

自动驾驶仪允许汽车在一个车道自己引导方向，改变车道，根据附件的交通状况加快或减速。特斯拉说改系统只是协助司机。司机必须手动打开这个系统。

The company tells drivers that even when using Autopilot, they need to keep both hands on the steering wheel at all times.

该公司告诉司机，即使使用自动驾驶仪，他们也需要在任何时候将双手放在方向盘上。

“Autopilot is getting better all the time, but it is not perfect and still requires the driver to remain alert,” Tesla said.

“自动驾驶仪是越来越好，但它不是完美的，仍然需要司机时刻保持警觉，”特斯拉说。

Despite these dangers, autonomous cars are expected to greatly reduce accidents. Currently, about 90 percent of crashes are caused byhuman error.

尽管有这些危险，自动驾驶汽车有望大大减少交通事故。目前，约有百分之90的撞车是由人为错误造成的。

James Anderson said the big automakers have pledged to add anti-crash devices on all vehicles within five years.

James Anderson说大汽车制造商已承诺在五年内将所有车辆加上防撞装置。

Driverless technology leads to disruption

无人驾驶技术带来秩序破坏

Even though few accidents is good, Anderson said this would cause a lot of economic disruption. “There’s a whole crash economy that is dependent on the regular occurrence of automobile crashes.” He said job losses would come in the insurance industry and in hospitals where crash victims are treated.

尽管说事故减少是一件好事，Anderson说它也会带来经济秩序破坏：“定期地发生车辆事故扶持起了一个完整的经济。”他说保险行业和治疗哪些车祸受害者的医院将会开始有人失业。

In addition, other driving-related jobs would be hurt. There are millions of truck drivers, delivery drivers, taxi drivers,and other driving-related jobs in the U.S. “A lot of those jobs are likely to disappear,” he said.

此外，其他驾驶相关的工作也会受到伤害。在美国，有数以百万计的卡车司机、送货司机、出租车司机，和其他驾驶相关的工作人员。“很多工作很可能会消失，”他说。

A California company already has plans to sell driverless kits for tractor-trailer trucks. The company, Otto, was started by former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski.

加利福尼亚的一家公司已计划出售拖车卡车的无人驾驶工具箱。这家名为Otto的公司是由前谷歌工程师Anthony Levandowski创立的。

Just the thought of an 18-wheel truck speeding down the highway fully loaded with cargo makes many drivers nervous. But Levandowski said the technology is very safe. He says the goal is to make trucks drive asmuch like humans as possible, but with the reliability of machines.

只要想想一辆满载货物的18轮卡车在公路上飞驰就会让许多司机紧张。但Levandowski说这项技术是非常安全的。他说，目标是使卡车自动驾驶起来尽量像有人驾驶一样，但同时又有机器的可靠性。

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