新奇事件簿 司机的自我认知

Canadian researchers have found that most drivers think they are better than others behind the wheel. The team from Ottawa University interviewed nearly 400 motorists of all ages. They all had to answer questions about what they thought of their own driving skills. The question topics included how they react¹ in different driving conditions, including terrible weather and congested roads. They then had to rate the skills of others on the road. The results were very similar across all age ranges almost all of those interviewed believed their driving ability was better than that of other drivers. Older drivers in the poll² were more confident in their ability than younger ones. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, males had the most confidence³ in their ability to handle a car.

加拿大研究人员发现，绝大多数司机自认为自己的驾驶技术强于他人。来自渥太华大学的研究团队对所有年龄段，近400名车主进行了调查。并让车主对自己的驾驶技术进行回答。例如在拥堵路段，或遭遇恶劣天气，司机的应对方式等问题。之后对其他司机的驾驶技术进行评价。在所有年龄段人群中，车主的回答近似，他们都认为自己的驾驶技术强于他人。在此次调查中，年长司机比年轻人更有信心。毋庸置疑，在驾驶技术上，男性比女性更自信。

Lead researcher Sylvain Gagnon believes the attitudes found in his survey could be dangerous. Mr Gagnon said that although confidence can be a good thing, it often has dangerous consequences. He stated: “If you think that you are a better driver, then perhaps you start behaving differently behind the wheel and do not pay as much attention as you should. This might explain why young men tend to have more accidents on the roads than other drivers.” It is time for government road safety departments to start taking research such as this more seriously. Traffic accidents are a huge killer⁴ throughout⁵ the world. Very few drivers really think about how deadly their car can be in an accident. More regulation⁶ is needed as people buy more and more cars.

研究组长西尔万·加尼翁认为，车主所表现出来的态度非常危险。尽管加尼翁认为人们应该充满自信，但有时它也会招致灾难。他认为：“如果你自认为是一名出色的司机，那么你的驾驶方式就会不同，并会忽略一些本应注意的事情。这或许也就解释了事故频发于年轻司机的原因。”像这样的研究应该得到道路交通部门的重视。交通事故已成为全人类杀手。很少有司机会想到事故的严重性。随着汽车数量的不断增加，政府也需要制定更加完善的交通法规。

1 react   

vi.起反应，起作用；反抗，起反作用

参考例句：

• She didn't look up or react in any way.她既不抬头，也没有任何反应。
• How did he react to your suggestion?他如何对待你的建议？

2 poll   

n.民意测验，民意调查，选举投票

参考例句：

• The result of the poll won't be known until midnight.选举结果要到午夜才能揭晓。
• They expected a heavy poll.他们期望会有很高的投票数。

3 confidence   

n.信任，信托，自信，信心，把握，大胆，厚颜，过于自信，狂妄

参考例句：

• We have full confidence in our victory.我们有必胜的把握。
• I should like to exchange a few words with you in confidence.我想私下和你交换点意见。

4 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。

5 throughout   

adv.到处，自始至终；prep.遍及，贯穿

参考例句：

• These magazines are sold at bookstores throughout the country.这些杂志在全国各地书店均有发售。
• Guilin is known throughout the world for its scenery.桂林以山水著称于世。

6 regulation   

n.规则，规章；调节，校准；adj.规定的，普通的

参考例句：

• He explains this regulation to me word for word.他逐字逐句地替我解释这项条例。
• This regulation is binding on everybody.本规则皆须遵守。