美国国家公共电台 NPR Distraction, On Street And Sidewalk, Helps Cause Record Pedestrian Deaths

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

It's the oldest form of transportation - walking - and new evidence shows it's getting more dangerous. A new report by the Governors Highway Safety Association shows the number of pedestrians¹ killed in traffic jumped 11 percent last year. That's nearly 6,000 people who died in collisions with vehicles, and it's the biggest single-year increase in the four decades these statistics have been tracked. From Chicago, NPR's David Schaper has more.

DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE²: I am standing³ at a pretty busy in downtown Chicago. And it's certainly not the most dangerous place in the city for pedestrians, but there are some factors here that could put those on foot at greater risk. First of all, it's early evening, so it's dark out. It's also raining lightly, and a lot of the people who are out and about are not looking where they're going. They're looking at their phones.

MELODY GERACI: We're crazy distracted. We're crazy distracted. After speeding and failure to yield, distractions⁴ are the number three cause, particularly with electronic devices.

SCHAPER: Melody Geraci is with the Active Transportation Alliance, a Chicago group advocating for better walking, cycling and public transportation options. She says it's not just those behind the wheel distracted by the devices, but a growing number of pedestrians, too, who can become oblivious⁵ to traffic around them. But she says the bigger problem remains⁶ the speed of car.

GERACI: Speed is a killer⁷, for sure. If a pedestrian is struck at 20 miles an hour, they have a 10 percent chance of dying. If they are struck at 40 miles an hour, they have an 80 percent chance of dying.

SCHAPER: According to the report, about 75 percent of pedestrian fatalities⁸ happen at night. Seventy-two percent of those killed are not crossing at intersections⁹ or crosswalks. And then there's this.

JONATHAN ADKINS: Alcohol plays a big role.

SCHAPER: The Governor's Highway Safety Association's executive director, Jonathan Adkins, says 15 percent of pedestrians killed each year are hit by a drunk driver, and a third of pedestrians killed are legally drunk themselves. That's right - one-third.

ADKINS: It's not just about don't drive drunk. It's don't walk home at night when you're hammered.

SCHAPER: Adkins and other safety advocates say lower speed limits, better road designs and more sidewalks can help reduce the fatalities. So can new vehicle technologies that alert drivers to pedestrians, though many drivers are confused by the technology and disable it. But ultimately the findings point to personal responsibility, both of the driver and the speed they're going and the pedestrian and the condition they're in. David Schaper, NPR News, Chicago.

1 pedestrians   

n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 distractions   

n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱

参考例句：

• I find it hard to work at home because there are too many distractions. 我发觉在家里工作很难，因为使人分心的事太多。
• There are too many distractions here to work properly. 这里叫人分心的事太多，使人无法好好工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 oblivious   

adj.易忘的，遗忘的，忘却的，健忘的

参考例句：

• Mother has become quite oblivious after the illness.这次病后，妈妈变得特别健忘。
• He was quite oblivious of the danger.他完全没有察觉到危险。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

8 fatalities   

n.恶性事故( fatality的名词复数 )；死亡；致命性；命运

参考例句：

• Several people were injured, but there were no fatalities. 有几个人受伤，但没有人死亡。
• The accident resulted in fatalities. 那宗意外道致多人死亡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 intersections   

n.横断( intersection的名词复数 )；交叉；交叉点；交集

参考例句：

• Traffic lights have been placed at all major intersections. 所有重要的交叉路口都安装了交通信号灯。
• Intersections are of the greatest importance in highway design. 在道路设计中，交叉口占有最重要的地位。 来自辞典例句