VOA慢速英语2020 调查发现安全装置可以大幅降低大型卡车追尾事故（在线收听）

A new study has found that safety equipment could prevent more than 40 percent of crashes in which tractor-trailers rear-end other vehicles.

一项新的调查发现，安全设备可以防止40%的拖挂卡车追尾其它车辆的事故。

The survey also found that when the rear-end crashes happened, safety systems were able to cut speeds by over 50 percent, resulting in fewer injuries and less damage.

调查还发现，当发生追尾事故时，安全系统能够将速度降低50%以上，从而减少人员受伤和降低损失。

The survey was a project of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research group supported by companies that insure owners of motor vehicles.

该调查是美国高速公路安全研究所的一个项目，该研究所得到了汽车保险公司的支持。

The institute's Eric Teoh did the study. He examined crash records from 62 trucking companies that operate tractor-trailers or other large trucks. He found about 2,000 crashes. Those accidents involved vehicles that traveled more than 3.2 billion kilometers from 2017 to 2019.

该研究所的埃里克·特奥完成了这项调查。他检查了62家卡车公司的事故记录，这些公司经营拖挂卡车和其它大型卡车。他发现有大约2千起事故。这些事故涉及从2017年到2019年行驶距离合计超过32亿公里的车辆。

The safety systems use cameras, radar and other sensors to watch the roadway. Some are designed to warn drivers of dangers, while more complex systems will stop the truck.

安全系统使用摄像头、雷达和其它传感器监视道路情况。有些旨在向驾驶员警示危险，而更复杂的系统会使卡车停下来。

Trucks with crash warning systems reduced rear crashes by 44 percent, while automatic emergency braking systems cut rear crashes by 41 percent, the study found.

该调查发现，装备碰撞预警系统的卡车的追尾事故减少了44%，而装备自动紧急制动系统的卡车的追尾事故减少了41%。

The institute called on the federal government to require such systems on new large trucks. It noted that many truck operators are already adding emergency braking on their own.

该研究所呼吁联邦政府强制要求在新出厂的大型卡车上安装这类系统。它指出，许多卡车司机已经自行加装了紧急制动系统。

"Rear-end crashes with trucks and other vehicles happen a lot, often with horrible consequences," said Teoh. "This is an important countermeasure to that."

特奥表示：“卡车和其它车辆的追尾事故经常发生，往往会造成可怕的后果。这（指加装安全系统）是一项重要对策。”

The study found that trucks equipped with a crash warning system had 22 percent fewer crashes than those without the technology. Trucks with emergency braking systems had 12 percent fewer crashes.

该调查发现，与没有采用该技术的卡车相比，配备碰撞预警系统的卡车的撞车事故减少了22%。配备紧急制动系统的卡车的撞车事故减少了12%。

Teoh said the findings could be valuable for trucking companies and drivers who are considering whether to get safety devices on their next vehicles.

特奥表示，这一发现对于正在考虑下一台车是否安装安全装置的卡车运输公司以及驾驶员来说可能很有价值。

The institute says U.S. crashes involving large trucks rose by nearly one-third since hitting a record low in 2009. A total of 4,136 people died in such crashes in 2018, with 119 deaths resulting from large trucks rear-ending other vehicles.

该研究所表示，自2009年创下历史新低以来，美国涉及大型卡车的撞车事故增加了近三分之一。2018年，这类撞车事故一共造成了4136人死亡，其中有119人死于大型卡车追尾其它车辆。

Two U.S. federal agencies make rules for heavy trucks: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They both said they are examining the new study.

美国联邦汽车运输安全管理局和国家公路交通安全管理局这两家联邦机构负责制定重型卡车的法规。他们都声称正在研究这项新的调查。

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a statement it is nearly finished with its own study on driver assist technology on heavy vehicles. It has been urging the voluntary use of systems such as emergency braking.

美国国家公路交通安全管理局在一份声明中表示，它已经接近完成自己对重型卡车驾驶员辅助技术的研究。它一直督促自愿使用紧急制动等系统。

In the United States, there are currently no requirements for either system. In Europe, automatic emergency braking with forward collision warning has been required by the European Union on most new large trucks since late 2013, the institute said.

美国目前对这两种系统都没有强制要求。该研究所表示，在欧洲方面，自2013年年底以来，欧盟已经要求大多数新出厂的大型卡车加装带有前碰撞警告的自动紧急制动系统。