Rob Lever

汽车在现代人的生活中扮演着越来越重要的角色，可每年全球由车祸造成的不幸事件却是不计其数。调查发现，有90%以上的车祸是人为因素造成的！因此，专家们提出，无人驾驶的智能化车辆系统将取代“马路杀手”型司机，成为未来车辆制造与驾驶的发展趋势。行车过程中，没有人的参与，反而大大降低了危险发生的可能性。

Road travel will change dramatically1. dramatically: 戏剧性地，巨大地。with the introduction of driverless cars—as will learning to drive. Motor industry leaders and technology experts tell us how.

Could we have zero deaths on our roads?

Cars that can think for themselves have clear advantages over fleshand-blood drivers: They don’t get drunk or drowsy, daydream or get distracted by mobile phones and squabbling kids.2. flesh-and-blood: 有血有肉的，活生生的；drowsy: 昏昏欲睡的，瞌睡的；squabbling: 吵闹的。As the driver is taken out of the equation, so too will a large proportion of accidents.3. 因为司机不用参与到车辆行驶中了，大部分的交通事故也将不再发生。be taken out of the equation: 免除，不用去做……。At least,that’s what car manufacturers are aiming for, as they develop the next generation of intelligent vehicles.4. manufacturer: 制造商，厂商；vehicle: 车辆，交通工具。These vehicles, they hope, will deliver the automotive Holy Grail of “zero accidents, zero fatalities and zero emissions.”5. automotive: 自动的；Holy Grail:梦寐以求的目标；fatality: 死亡；emission: 排放。

Worldwide, 1.24 million people die each year in road accidents and as many as 50 million are injured (WHO figures, 2013). Human error causes over 90 percent of these collisions6. collision: 碰撞，撞击。. Driverless cars, which can sense other vehicles on the road as well as obstacles and lane markings,7. obstacle: 障碍，妨碍物；lane marking: 道路标志。are already proving much safer than human-driven cars. In trials of Google’s autonomous Prius fleet in Silicon Valley in California,8. trial: 试验；autonomous: 自主的，自动的；Prius: 普锐斯（丰田汽车品牌）；fleet: 车队；Silicon Valley: 硅谷，美国加州的高科技区。the only accidents were caused by human error.

But let’s back up a bit. How do driverless cars work? How are innovations like these designed? And how safe is it to put your life in the hands of an autonomous vehicle that makes all your decisions for you?

Driverless cars use a mix of GPS, cameras, complex scanners and sensors to detect vehicles, traffic signals, curbs, pedestrians and other obstacles.9. scanner: 扫描仪；sensor: 感应装置，传感器；detect: 查出，测出；curb: 路缘，俗称马路牙子；pedestrian: 行人，步行者。“A central computer system analyzes the data to control acceleration, steering and braking,” says Olivier Sappin, VP of Transportation & Mobility at Dassault Systèmes10. acceleration: 加速；steering: 转向；braking: 刹车；vp: 即Vice President，副总裁。—the software company whose 3D EXPERIENCE platform and industry solutions are used by motor manufacturers to design, produce and maintain driverless cars. The software can simulate different eventualities to ensure safety on the road—and the results can be incorporated into the design and production process.11. simulate: 模拟，模仿；eventuality:可能性，可能发生的事；incorporate: 包含，组合。

As well as detecting their surroundings using ultra-sophisticated mapping systems, future cars will be able to communicate with each other, allowing as many cars as possible to fit on the roads.12. 未来的车辆不仅能用超尖端的地图系统探测到周围的环境，而且能与其他车辆交流，这样能使尽可能多的车辆在路上有序行驶。ultra-sophisticated: 超尖端的。Connected vehicles will feature safety warnings that alert drivers of potentially dangerous conditions—impending collisions, icy roads and dangerous curves.13. alert: 警告，使警觉；potentially:可能地，潜在地；impending:即将发生的，迫近的；curve:拐弯处。

Experts say it’s not the technology holding us back, but legal and practical issues such as who is responsible in the case of an accident,urban planning and the security of car computer systems. Once these details are worked out, and motor manufacturers have used sophisticated software tools to eliminate14. eliminate: 消除，排除。all potential problems, it won’t be long until we’re all a lot safer on the roads.

The thrill15. thrill: 兴奋，激动。 of the open road

Cars have always been associated with freedom, but will traveling in autonomous cars take the thrill out of driving?

Not so, says Olivier Sappin of Dassault Systèmes, which is working with motor manufacturers to develop the cars of the future. “People who’ve tried prototype16. prototype:（新型汽车、机器等的）原型，样品。driverless cars report that they get used to the experience of not having to pay attention to the road fairly quickly. They feel safe—safe enough to use their mobile phones or tablets17. tablet: 平板电脑。, to chat to other passengers, to relax, or work.”

Other industry experts agree, “Some people just want transport to get to work.For them, as cities are getting bigger and traffic is getting worse, self-driving cars are freedom,” says Pim van der Jagt, at Ford’s research centre.

Those who enjoy the driving experience can still commute18. commute: 通勤，往返。in the traditional way. “Some customers don’t wish to give up the steering wheel altogether,” an Audi spokesperson said.“They appreciate the prestige19. prestige: 威风，威望。, comfort and sports appeal of automobiles.”

But maybe that attitude will go the way of the horse and cart.20. 或许这种态度将会彻底转变。horse and cart: 来自于put the cart before the horse，意为“本末倒置”。The alternative21. alternative: 另一种选择，供代替的方案。will just become too attractive, too convenient, and too safe.