英酒吧使用防碎酒杯 應對酗酒暴力

The UK government proudly unveiled a shatterproof pint glass on Thursday. Officials said the country would save billions in healthcare costs by coming up with a glass that doesn't double as a lethal weapon.

There are about 87,000 alcohol-related glass attacks each year in the UK, with many resulting in hospital visits, Home Secretary Alan Johnson said, as he introduced the two prototype shatterproof pint glasses.

"Glassing causes horrific injuries and has a lasting and devastating impact on victims and their families," Johnson said. "I hope these designs will help bring an end to such attacks."

Two types of shatterproof glass were unveiled. One has a thin bio-resin coating on the inside that strengthens it, and the other bonds two thin layers of glass together in the same way as car windshields. Both are difficult to break and keep the shards together if they do fracture, rendering them useless as weapons.

The government is touting the prototypes as the first significant improvement in bar glassware in decades. The plan is to introduce the new glasses for use on a voluntary basis in pubs if tests show they are durable, cost-effective and safe.

Alcohol Concern, a charity working to lessen alcohol abuse in Britain, praised the new designs.

"We're very much in favor," chief executive Don Shenker said. "There has been good local research showing this could reduce the use of glass in violent incidents."

Half of all violent assaults in Britain are alcohol-related and it has become common for drinkers to smash glasses and use them as weapons, he added.

"You are five times more likely to be involved in a violent incident if you are in or around a licensed bar," he said. "There is a clear correlation."

The government estimates that alcohol-related problems cost the National Health Service roughly 2.7 billion pounds ($4.3 billion) per year.

In the North London district of Camden, where heavy drinking bouts are commonplace, bartender Mirjam Linzie said the staff at the Elephants Head pub would welcome safer glasses.

"One time there was a big fight and 50 glasses were smashed in one minute," she said. "One man smashed a glass over another one's head. One person's eye was popping out. It was a bloodbath. There was glass raining. People were hiding behind the counter."

英國政府於上週四高調推出一種防碎玻璃酒杯。據有關官員介紹，這種玻璃杯無法再被用作互相襲擊的“致命武器”，可爲英國節省數十億的醫療開支。

英國內政大臣阿蘭•約翰遜在展示兩種新推出的防碎玻璃杯時介紹稱，英國每年發生約8.7萬起因喝酒引發的玻璃杯襲擊事件，許多遭到襲擊的人不得不被送往醫院。

約翰遜說：“玻璃杯襲擊事件會造成嚴重的傷害，並會對受害者及其家人帶來持久和毀滅性的影響。我希望這種新杯子的使用將終止此類事件的發生。”

目前推出的防碎玻璃杯有兩種，一種是在杯子內層塗上一層薄薄的生物樹脂進行加固，另一種是像製作汽車擋風玻璃一樣，將兩層薄玻璃結合到一起。這兩種杯子都不容易被弄碎，即使碎了，碎片也仍然連在一起，不會傷到人。

英國政府稱這是數十年來首次對酒吧使用的玻璃杯做出顯著改進。如果實驗證明這種杯子確實耐用、節約成本又安全，那麼政府計劃以自願的原則在酒吧推廣這種新型杯具。

英國一家致力於減少酗酒暴力行爲的慈善組織“關注酗酒”對這一新舉措表示贊同。

該組織理事長唐•辛克說：“我們十分贊同。對當地民衆的調查顯示，這種杯子的使用會減少玻璃杯暴力襲擊事件的發生。”

他說，英國一半的暴力襲擊事件都是由醉酒造成的，而醉酒者往往喜歡用玻璃杯當作武器攻擊別人。

他說，“如果你在一家有酒類銷售許可證的酒吧或其附近，你被牽涉進一場暴力事件的可能性要大五倍。二者之間具有明顯的聯繫。”

據英國政府估計，英國國民醫療保健體制每年要爲因喝酒引發的問題支付約27億英鎊（合43億美元）的費用。

倫敦北部的卡姆登區是酗酒打架事件的高發區，該區一家名爲“象頭酒吧”的招待米莉亞•琳琪說，酒吧的員工將會很歡迎這種安全性更高的杯子。

“這裏曾發生過一次嚴重的打架事件，當時50只杯子瞬間被摔碎。一名男子用杯子砸向另一個人的頭，還有一個人眼睛暴出，真是一場血戰。當時的情景是玻璃亂飛，像下雨一樣，人們都躲到吧檯後面去了。”

Vocabulary:

pint: a container with a pint capacity 一品脫的容器

double as sth.: to have another use or function as well as the main one 兼任；兼作

prototype: the first design of something from which other forms are copied or developed 原型；雛形；最初形態

shard: a piece of broken glass, metal, etc. （玻璃、金屬等的）碎片

tout: to try to persuade people that somebody/something is important or valuable by praising them/it 標榜；吹捧；吹噓

bloodbath: a situation in which many people are killed violently 大屠殺