新奇事件簿 司机们都认为自己比其他人驾车技术好

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，大部分司机都认为他们的驾车技术比其他司机更好。来自渥太华大学的团队采访了近400名各年龄段的司机。他们都必须回答关于他们自己驾车技术的问题。问题包括在不同的驾车环境下他们会做出什么样的反应，包括糟糕的天气和拥挤的道路。然后他们必须对道路上其他司机的驾车技术进行评估。所有年龄段的结果非常类似——几乎所有接受调查的人都认为自己的驾车技术比其他司机更好。调查中年龄较大的司机比年轻的司机对自己的能力更自信。毫无意外，男性对自己的驾车技术最有信心。

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.

首席研究人员Sylvain Gagnon相信调查中发现的司机们的态度非常危险。Gagnon表示，尽管信心是好东西，然而也会产生危险的后果。他说：“如果你认为你是更好的司机，或许你驾车时的行为会特立独行，不付出应有的注意力。这或许可以解释为何年轻男性比其他司机更容易发生交通事故。”政府道路安全部门是时候严肃对待这样的研究了。道路事故在全世界都是一个大杀手。几乎没有司机意识到他们的汽车在交通事故中多么致命。随着越来越多人购买汽车，必须出台更多的管控措施。

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。