美國政府爲無人駕駛汽車敞開大門

WASHINGTON — Federal auto safety regulators on Monday made it official: They are betting the nation’s highways will be safer with more cars driven by machines and not people.

華盛頓——聯邦汽車安全監管機構週一正式宣佈：它們認爲，美國公路上的車輛更多地由機器駕駛時將比由人駕駛更安全。

In long-awaited guidelines for the booming industry of automated vehicles, the Obama administration promised strong safety oversight, but sent a clear signal to automakers that the door was wide open for driverless cars.

自動汽車行業正蓬勃發展，在這份人們期待良久的行業指導意見中，奧巴馬政府承諾要進行強有力的安全監管，但也向汽車廠商發出了一個清晰的信號：面向無人駕駛汽車的大門是完全敞開的。

We envision in the future, you can take your hands off the wheel, and your commute becomes restful or productive instead of frustrating and exhausting, said Jeffrey Zients, director of the National Economic Council, adding that highly automated vehicles will save time, money and lives.

我們設想，在未來，大家可以把雙手從方向盤上拿開，出行時不再心情不佳、疲憊不堪，而是能夠休息或做其他的有用的事情，國家經濟委員會(National Economic Council)負責人傑弗裏•齊恩茨(Jeffrey Zients)表示。他還稱，高度自動化的車輛將能節省時間和金錢，挽救生命。

The statements were the most aggressive signal yet by federal regulators that they see automated car technology as a win for auto safety.

這是聯邦監管機構迄今發出的最爲積極的信號，傳達出它們認爲自動汽車技術有利於駕車安全。

Yet having officially endorsed the fast-evolving technology, regulators must now balance the commercial interests of companies including Tesla, Google and Uber with concerns over public safety, especially in light of recent crashes involving semiautonomous cars.

不過，既然正式支持了這項快速演進的技術，監管部門現在必須要在特斯拉(Tesla)、谷歌(Google)和優步(Uber)等公司的商業利益與外界對公共安全的關切之間取得平衡，尤其是考慮到近期曝光的涉及半自動汽車的幾起撞車事故。

The policies unveiled on Monday were designed to walk that line.

週一出臺的政策即意在達到這種平衡。

In a joint appearance, Mr Zients and Anthony Foxx, secretary of the United States Department of Transportation, released the first guidelines, which outlined safety standards and encouraged uniform rules for the nascent technology.

齊恩茨與聯邦運輸部長安東尼•福克斯(Anthony Foxx)共同出面，發佈了首批指導意見，其中列出了安全標準，並鼓勵對這項新興技術制訂統一規則。

The instructions signaled to motorists that automated vehicles would not be a wild west where companies can try anything without oversight, but were also vague enough that automakers and technology companies would not fear over-regulation.

指導意見向駕車者發出了信號——自動汽車不會是各家公司在沒有監管的情況下爲所欲爲的盲區——但也足夠模糊，不會讓汽車廠商和科技公司擔心監管過度。

Driverless and semiautonomous cars have already hit the open roads, forcing regulators to keep up.

無人駕駛與半自動汽車已經上了公路，迫使監管部門要跟上步伐。

Tesla, the electric-car maker, has sold tens of thousands of cars with a self-driving feature known as Autopilot.

電動車廠商特斯拉售出了數千輛帶有Autopilot自動駕駛功能的汽車。

The company has been grappling with the fallout from the death in May of a Florida driver who had the car’s Autopilot on, as well as a report last week of another crash in China where the technology was turned on.

今年5月，佛羅里達州的一名司機在開啓Autopilot功能的情況下車禍身亡，上週又有報道稱，中國發生過一起事故，當時正在使用該項技術。特斯拉正在應對它們的後果。

Tesla plans as soon as this week to download new software to its cars.

特斯拉計劃最早在本週讓旗下汽車產品下載新軟件。

The company’s chief executive, Elon Musk, has said the new software will include improvements to Autopilot that could have avoided the fatal accident in May.

公司首席執行官埃隆•馬斯克(Elon Musk)表示，新軟件將包含對Autopilot的改進，可以避免5月的那類致命事故。

Uber, the ride-hailing giant, began trials in Pittsburgh last week to let its most loyal customers order rides from driverless cars through their smartphone app.

上週，叫車服務業的巨頭優步開始在匹茲堡測試，讓最忠實的顧客通過它們的智能手機應用叫無人駕駛車輛。

Google has been testing self-driving cars in its hometown Mountain View, Calif., and rivals including Apple are also exploring similar technology.

谷歌一直在總部所在的加州山景城測試旗下的自動駕駛汽車，而包括蘋果(Apple)在內的其他一些競爭對手也在探索類似技術。

Last year, there were nearly 40,000 deaths in the United States from auto-related accidents, the deadliest for automotive-related deaths since 2008 and the largest year-over-year percentage increase in 50 years, according to the National Safety Council.

根據國家安全管理委員會(National Safety Council)公佈的數據，去年，全美有近4萬人死於與汽車有關的事故，是2008年以來死亡人數最高的一年，還取得了50年來最大的同比增幅。

Karl Brauer, senior editor at Kelley Blue Book, an auto research and valuation company, said the new guidelines strike a balance between ensuring safety as automakers develop self-driving cars and making sure the introduction of lifesaving technology is not delayed unnecessarily.

汽車調研與評估公司凱利藍皮書(Kelley Blue Book)的高級編輯卡爾•布勞爾(Karl Brauer)表示，新出爐的指導意見權衡了兩方面的需求：一方面是汽車廠商開發自動駕駛車輛時要保障安全，另一方面則是確保這種能挽救生命的技術不會在沒必要的情況下推遲運用。

We are in this weird transition, Mr Brauer said.

我們正處在尷尬的過渡期，布勞爾說。

It’s a tough balance for the regulators.

對監管部門來說是個艱難的平衡。

You want to get this technology out, but you don’t want to move too quickly.

你既希望讓技術出臺，又不希望步子邁得太快。

The new guidelines on Monday targeted four main areas.

週一的新指導意見針對四個主要領域。

The Department of Transportation announced a 15-point safety standard for the design and development of autonomous vehicles; called for states to come up with uniform policies applying to driverless cars; clarified how current regulations can be applied to driverless cars; and opened the door for new regulations on the technology.

運輸部公佈了適用於設計與開發自動車輛的15點安全標準；呼籲各州推出無人駕駛車輛方面的統一政策；澄清了目前的監管規定如何適用於無人駕駛車輛；以及爲有關這一技術的新監管開闢道路。

Currently, driverless cars face a patchwork of state regulations.

目前，無人駕駛車輛面臨零散的州級監管規定。

In the last three years, about a dozen states have passed laws that specifically address testing of driverless vehicles.

過去三年裏，十餘州通過了專門針對測試無人駕駛車輛的法律。

Most laws require a licensed driver to be in the car.

這類法規中，多數要求車裏要有取得駕駛證的司機。

Mr Foxx said states would continue to regulate the licensing of drivers and insurance.

福克斯部長表示，將繼續由各州監管駕駛證與保險事宜。

But Mr Foxx affirmed the agency’s oversight over the software technology used in driverless cars.

不過，他申明由運輸部監管在無人駕駛車輛中使用的軟件技術。

What we are trying to do is avoid a patchwork of state laws, Mr Foxx said.

我們是在盡力避免州級法律帶來的不成體系的問題，福克斯說。

The federal guidelines were welcomed by auto manufacturers.

此次發佈的聯邦指導意見受到了汽車生產廠家的歡迎。

Ford, which is targeting fully autonomous vehicles by 2021 for ride-sharing, said in a statement that the guidance will help establish the basis for a national framework that enables the safe deployment of autonomous vehicles.

福特的目標是在2021年爲拼車服務生產出全自動汽車。公司發表聲明稱，指導意見將爲能夠實現安全利用自動車輛的全國性框架奠定基礎。

We also look forward to collaborating with states on areas that complement this national framework.

我們還期望與各州合作，共同推進完善這一全國性框架。

The government’s endorsement will speed up the rollout of autonomous cars, experts said, potentially within the next five years.

專家表示，政府的表態將會加快自動汽車的推出，有可能在未來五年內就實現這一點。

It helps companies by providing some cover.

它爲企業提供了某種保護，從而對它們有所幫助。

If a car crashes, courts may look to these guidelines to help us determine what was reasonable and not, said Bryant Walker Smith, a professor at the University of South Carolina.

假如出了車禍，法院可以參照這些指導意見來幫助我們認定什麼是合理的，什麼又不是，南卡羅來納大學(University of South Carolina)教授布萊恩特•沃克•史密斯(Bryant Walker Smith)說。

Large automakers in particular have made big strides in the technological development of driverless cars but have been wary of introducing those features too quickly without the backing of federal regulators.

尤其是，大型汽車廠商正在無人駕駛車輛的技術開發上取得長足進步，卻又擔心在沒有聯邦監管機構的支持下過快引入這類功能。

Big companies love certainty and targets that they need to aim for, said Brad Templeton, a consultant and publisher of .

大公司喜歡有確定性和可以讓它們去瞄準的目標，Robocars網站的顧問兼出版人布拉德•坦普爾頓(Brad Templeton)說。