特斯拉致命車禍 自動駕駛真的安全嗎大綱

The driver of a Tesla Model S electric car was killed in a crash that occurred while the vehicle was driving itself in “autopilot” mode, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration, which has opened a formal investigation.

美國國家公路交通安全局(National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration)披露，一輛特斯拉Model S電動車在使用“自動駕駛”模式行駛途中發生車禍，導致駕駛者死亡，對此案的正式調查已經開啓。

The accident, on May 7, is thought to be the first death resulting from a crash involving a self-driving car.

這起車禍發生在5月7日，應該是涉及自動駕駛汽車的第一起致死事故。

Automakers and Silicon Valley companies like Tesla and Google are pushing to perfect automated vehicles and speed their introduction, but the big question has been whether the technology is reliable in a life-or-death situation.

各大汽車生產商及特斯拉(Tesla)和谷歌(Google)這樣的硅谷公司，正在推動自動化車輛的完善，加速把它們引入市場，但最大的問題是：在生死關頭，這種技術是否可靠。

In a statement, the safety agency said it learned of the fatality from Tesla, and has sent an investigative team to examine the vehicle and the crash site in Williston, Fla., about 100 miles northwest of Orlando. The team is looking at the car’s automated driving system and whether it played a role in the crash.

公路交通安全局在一份聲明中表示，它從特斯拉那裏得知了這起死亡事件，並已派出一個調查小組對出事車輛和車禍現場進行調查。車禍發生在佛羅里達州的威利斯頓，位於奧蘭多西北方向約100英里處。調查團隊正在檢查該車的自動駕駛系統，以及它在車禍中起到的作用。

The safety agency did not identify the Tesla driver who was killed when a tractor-trailer turned in front of the car. But the Florida Highway Patrol identified him as Joshua Brown, 40, of Canton, Ohio.

公路交通安全局沒有披露特斯拉駕駛者的身份。車禍發生時，有一輛大卡車在特斯拉前面轉彎。不過，佛羅里達公路巡警部門稱，死者名叫約書亞·布朗(Joshua Brown)，40歲，來自俄亥俄州的坎頓。

Tesla, in a news release that did not name the driver, said he was a man ‘‘who spent his life focused on innovation and the promise of technology and who believed strongly in Tesla’s mission.’’

特斯拉在新聞稿中沒有提到駕駛者的姓名，只是說他“一生專注於創新和技術發展，對特斯拉的使命堅信不移”。

Mr. Brown apparently posted videos of himself riding in autopilot mode. “The car’s doing it all itself,’’ he said in one, smiling as he took his hands from the steering wheel.

布朗似乎貼出過自動駕駛模式下他在車中的視頻。“這輛車自己就可以行駛，”在一段視頻中，他一邊說，一邊微笑着把雙手從方向盤上移開。

In another he praised the system for saving his car from an accident.

還有一次，他稱讚自動駕駛系統避免了一起事故。

The traffic safety agency said it was working with the Florida Highway Patrol in the inquiry into Mr. Brown’s fatal accident. The agency cautioned that the opening of an investigation did not mean it believed there was a defect in the vehicle being examined.

公路交通安全局表示，它正在與佛羅里達公路巡警部門一起調查布朗的死亡事件。該機構謹慎地表示，開啓調查並不意味着它認爲受檢查的車輛本身有缺陷。

The traffic safety agency is nearing the release of a new set of guidelines and regulations regarding the testing of self-driving vehicles on public roads. They were expected to be released in July.

公路交通安全局正準備發佈一套新的關於自動駕駛車輛在公共道路上測試的準則和監管條例。這些內容預計會在7月公之於衆。

Tesla said in its news release that it had informed the traffic safety agency about the accident “immediately after it occurred.” But the company reported it publicly only on Thursday, after learning that the agency had begun to investigate.

特斯拉在新聞稿中稱，“事件發生後”，他們“立即”通知了公路交通安全局。但直到得知該機構開始調查後，特斯拉纔在本週四公佈此事。

Earlier this month, the agency’s leader, Mark Rosekind, said at an automotive technology conference in Novi, Mich., that the new rules would provide “guidance for how to get all of these autonomous new safety technologies on the road safely.”

本月早些時候，公路交通安全局主管馬克·羅斯金德(Mark Rosekind)在密歇根州諾維召開的汽車技術會議上表示，對於“如何讓各種新的自動化安全技術在道路上安全地運行”，新的規則將提供指導。

Tesla’s chief executive, Elon Musk, has praised the company’s self-driving feature, introduced in the Model S last fall, as “probably better than a person right now.”

特斯拉去年秋天推出Model S時，其首席執行官埃隆·馬斯克(Elon Musk)稱讚他們的自動駕車功能“現在很可能優於人類”。

But in its statement on Thursday, the company cautioned that it was still only a test feature and noted that its use ‘‘requires explicit acknowledgment that the system is new technology.’’

但在週四的聲明中，該公司告誡衆人，這項功能仍然處於測試階段，使用時“需要直接確認，這一系統屬於新技術”。

It noted that when a driver activated the system, an acknowledgment box pops up, explaining that the autopilot mode “is an assist feature that requires you to keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times.”

文中指出，當駕駛員啓動自動駕駛系統時，會有一個確認框彈出，顯示自動駕駛模式“是一項輔助功能，需要你一直把雙手放在方向盤上”。