万花筒 2012-12-14&12-16 美国将要求所有私家车安装“黑匣子”

 The consequences of bad driving habits could potentially grow now that the Obama Administration has approved a plan to require so-called black boxes on all new cars sold in the U.S., just like those data recorders in planes that reveal the actions of pilots involved in accidents. The car versions will tell investigators¹ what you were doing behind the wheel of your car. But privacy advocates worry about what else it may reveal. Here’s NBC’s Charles Hadlock. 

At the Fort Worth auto² show today, buyers are checking out the latest models. 

“I want to go really fast.”

“I want for Christmas.”

But shoppers of all new vehicles will soon get more than they bargained for, a data recorder watching a driver’s every move.

Beginning in September of 2014, every new vehicle sold in the U.S. will be required to have a so-called black box. The boxes record the last few seconds before a crash, providing such clues as vehicle speeds, steering³, whether the brakes were applied⁴ and if the driver was wearing a seat belt. 

“If you are guilty of something, it’s going to hurt you. If you’re innocent of something, it could be a real defense⁵ for you.”

The insurance industry supports the move. Even though most drivers are unaware⁶ that 96% of cars sold today already have data records installed. 

“People are dying on the freeways, and these people are trying to make it so that

doesn’t happen. That’s a good thing.”

But privacy advocates say the government and automakers are traveling toward a slippery slope by spreading an intrusive⁷ technology without the policy in place to prevent the misuse⁸ of information. 

“The two concerns that we have of this technology are, No.1 that these black boxes should belong to the owner and the data on them shouldn’t be available to the police or anybody else without a warrant. And No. 2 that people are aware that these are in their cars.”

Information collected from data recorders is already showing up in lawsuits⁹ and some high-profile accidents like the one in 2007 involving former New Jersey¹⁰ Governor Jon Corzine. The data recorder showed Corzine was not wearing a seat belt. And the SUV a state trooper was driving was going 91 miles an hour, well above the speed limit. 

It's a new mandated¹¹ feature to be debated far beyond the showroom. Charles Hadlock, NBC New, Fort Worth.

1 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

3 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

4 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

7 intrusive   

adj.打搅的；侵扰的

参考例句：

• The cameras were not an intrusive presence.那些摄像机的存在并不令人反感。
• Staffs are courteous but never intrusive.员工谦恭有礼却从不让人感到唐突。

8 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。

9 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

10 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

11 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。