第87课 谈论事故

　　A:I think speed cameras should be used to catch speeding motorists. As we all know, speeding causes accidents. Speed cameras reduce the number of road accidents by penalizing drivers who drive dangerously. I believe it is very effective.

　　A：我认为应该使用超速摄影机来对付那些超速行驶的驾驶员。众所周知，超速会引发交通事故。超速摄影机的使用可以惩罚那些危险行车的驾驶员以减少道路交通事故的数量。在我看来，这种方法行之有效。

　　B:But I don't think so. Speed is very rarely the cause of accidents; other factors such as drunk driving, bad road conditions, and poor driving skills all play a part. Tackling these other factors would therefore do more to reduce accidents than speed cameras.

　　B：但我并不这样认为。超速并不常是引发事故的原因；其他因素，例如酒后驾驶.路况恶劣，以及拙劣的驾驶技术都会引发交通事故。解决这些问题要比安装超速摄影机更有助于减少交通事故发生的可能性。

　　A:I agree with you to some extent. Speed may not be the only factor in causing road accidents, but it is a critical factor in how bad accidents are. Even small changes in speed can be effective in preventing deaths and reducing injuries.

　　A：我在一定程度上同意你的说法。超速可能不是引发交通事故的惟一因素.但在事故本身的严重程度上。它却是一个关键因素。即使是速度上的一点点变化在避免死亡的发生和减轻事故伤害方面都起了很大的作用。

　　B:This might be true of suburban streets where the difference between 20 mph and 40 mph makes a huge difference, but it is not true of the faster main roads where almost all speed cameras are positioned. On these roads, the speed limits are already high enough to make accidents deadly.

　　B：也许对于位于郊区的街道来说你所说的情形是正确的，在那里，时速20英里和时速40英里确实有着很大的不同。但对于那些时速更高的干线来说就不是这样了，而正是在这些地方到处都安装着超速摄影机。在这样的道路上，最高限速已经足以使引发的交通事故带来伤亡。

　　A:I can't agree with you. The speed limit is a law and the law should be obeyed. You may believe you can drive safely above the speed limit, but there are other road users too.

　　A：我并不同意你的观点。速度极限是一项法律，而人们应该遵守法律。你可能认为你在超速的情形下可以安全行车，但我们还应该考虑其他人啊。

　　B:But we have to admit that cameras are not always sensitive to context. The speed limit is a guide to drivers of the maximum safe speed, but circumstances vary. Promoting and enforcing one set speed in all circxmstances is irresponsible. Furtherrnxe, speed cameras are sometimes inaccurate and prone to errors,often catching drivers who have been observing the speed limit.

　　B：但我们不得不承认摄像机对环境的敏感度并不总是很高。速度极限提供给驾驶员一个最高的安全时速，但环境是不断变化的。在所有的环境和情形下都强制执行同一个速度标准，这种做法是缺乏责任感的。而且，有时超速摄影机的记录并不准确.并容易犯错，常常会把按规定驾驶的驾驶员记录在案。

　　A:Although speed cameras may occasionally suffer technical problems,the technology is thoroughly tested and reliable. And this is not an argument for scrapping cameras.

　　A：尽管超速摄影机有时可能遇到一些技术问题.但这项技术本身已完全通过测试，是可靠的。而且并不能因此就放弃使用超速摄影机。

　　B:But don't you think speed cameras would create dangerous driving as drivers often brake suddenly when they see a camera, and then speed up again once they are past it? This makes accidents more likely, not less.

　　B：但是，你不认为超速摄影机反而会诱发危险驾驶吗？因为驾驶员常常会在看到摄影机时突然刹车，等经过之后又再次提速。这种做法不但没有减少事故，反而更有可能增加了事故的发生。

　　A:Placing signs warning of speed cameras on a stretch of road, but hiding the actual cameras can avoid drivers' suddenly changing speed. Over time,as drivers become used to observing speed limits more carefully,this will be reflected in safer driving all the time, not just when cameras are present. Moreover, speed cameras are cost-effective as they take highly-paid police officers off traffic duty,allowing them to do more important things.

　　A：我们可以在一段公路上放置超速摄影机的标牌，而将真正的摄影机隐藏起来，这样就可以避免驾驶员突然改变速度了。时间久了，驾驶员会逐渐习惯于按照规定的速度驾车，这样即使没有摄影机的监控，他们也会始终安全行车了。而且，从成本效益的角度来看，超速摄影机也是一个不错的选择，因为它们使那些受高薪聘用的警员可以离开交通岗位到更重要的岗位上去工作。

　　B:Removing police officers from traffic duty is bad, as skilled officers are much more able to detect and deal with dangerous driving than insensitive cameras,which will miss any driving offences committed below the speed limit. So I really believe speed cameras are a bad idea.

　　B：使警员离开交通岗位是不对的，因为有经验的警员要比那些敏感度极低的摄影机更有能力洞察和处理危险的驾驶行为，而摄影机对于在速度极限下出现的违规驾驶行为往往是视而不见的。所以我认为超速摄影机并不足取。