万花筒 Kaleidoscope 2007-10-20&10-21, 偷车贼你慢慢开

Car thieves, beware. New technology could put the brakes on your getaway ride.

This vehicle is being slowed at the request of a law enforcement agency.

Coming soon, a feature to slow down stolen vehicles offered by General Motors in its Onstar communication system. It works like this - a driver with onstar reports the vehicle is gone. An operator works with law enforcement to locate it using GPS technology. Once found, the stolen vehicle slowdown kicks in, sending a signal to the power trans-system.

The accelerator doesn't work. The brakes work, power steering² works. Flashes come out outside the car.

Safely steer¹ the vehicle to the side of the road and place it in park. Law enforcement will soon arrive.

The worst that is gonna happen is it will coast gradually with a stop and there will be no high speed chase. Chases that often lead to property damage, even death, putting every one on the road at risk.

And then to disable it before that maniac³ or that psychopath, drives it somewhere and crashes it into some innocent person or hurts that child. It's a phenomenal technology. I know this technology is gonna save lives.

For your safety, please remain inside the vehicle.

Onstar expects to conduct about 600 stolen vehicle slowdowns every year when this technology reaches full productions. Starting with the 2009 models about 20 GM vehicles including Chevrolet, available in the United States and Canada.

Attention driver, this vehicle's being slowed. Technology stopping stolen vehicles in their tracks. Lee Powell, The Associated Press, Washington.

1 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

2 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

3 maniac   

n.精神癫狂的人；疯子

参考例句：

• Be careful!That man is driving like a maniac!注意！那个人开车像个疯子一样！
• You were acting like a maniac,and you threatened her with a bomb!你像一个疯子，你用炸弹恐吓她！