七夕的英文研究生英语_安全带的隐患 原文+翻译

2021年1月19日发(作者：drake)
It's almost a common sense that wearing a seat belt can keep passengers from being injured or
being killed in a car accident. But recent research done by John Adams shows more complicated
statistics. More car accidents are caused by the reckless drivers who wear seat belts.

THE HIDDEN DANGER OF SEAT BELTS
David Bjerklie

1 Seat belts still decrease our risk of dying in an accident, but the statistics are not all black and
white. In fact, according to one researcher, seat belts may actually cause people to drive more
recklessly.
2 If there's one thing we know about our risky world, it's that seat belts save lives. And they do,
of
course.
But
reality,
as
usual,
is
messier
and
more
complicated
than
that.
John
Adams,
risk
expert and emeritus professor of geography at University College London, was an early skeptic of
the seat belt safety mantra. Adams first began to look at the numbers more than 25 years ago.
What he found was that contrary to conventional wisdom, mandating the use of seat belts in 18
countries resulted in either no change or actually a net increase in road accident deaths.
3 How can that be? Adams' interpretation of the data rests on the notion of risk compensation,
the
idea
that
individuals
tend
to
adjust
their
behavior
in
response
to
what
they
perceive;
as
changes in the level of risk. Imagine, explains Adams, a driver negotiating a curve in the road.
Let's make him a young male. He is going to be influenced by his perceptions of both the risks
and rewards of driving a car. The considerations could include getting to work or meeting a mend
for dinner on time, impressing a companion with his driving skills, bolstering his image of himself
as an accomplished driver. They could also include his concern for his own safety and desire to
live to a ripe old age, his feelings of responsibility for a toddler with him in a car seat, the cost of
banging up his shiny new car or losing his license.
Nor will these possible concerns exist in a vacuum. He will be taking into account the weather
and the condition of the road, the amount of traffic and the capabilities of the car he is driving.
But crucially, says Adams, this driver will also be adjusting his behavior in response to what he
perceives are changes in risks. If he is wearing a seat belt and his car has front and side air bags
and anti-skid brakes to boot, he may in turn drive a bit more daringly.
4 The point, stresses Adams, is that drivers who feel safe may actually increase the risk that they
pose to other drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians and their own passengers (while an average of 80%
of drivers buckle up, only 68% of their rear-seat passengers do). And risk compensation is hardly
confined to the act of driving a car. Think of a trapeze artist, suggests Adams, or a rock climber or
motorcyclist.
Add
some
safety equipment
to
the
equation-
a
net, rope
or
helmet
respectively-
and the person may try maneuvers that he or she would otherwise consider foolish. In the case
of seat belts, instead of a simple, straightforward reduction in deaths, the end result is actually a
more
complicated
redistribution
of
risk
and
fatalities. For
the
sake
of
argument, offers Adams,
imagine how it might affect the behavior of drivers if a sharp stake were mounted in the middle
of
the
steering
wheel?
Or
if
the
bumper
were
packed
with
explosives.
Perverse,
yes,
but
it
certainly provides a vivid example of how a perception of risk could modify behavior.
5 In everyday life, risk is a moving target, not a set number as statistics might suggest. In addition
to
external
factors,
each
individual
has
his
or
her
own
internal
comfort
level
with
risk-
taking.
Some
are
daring
while
others
are
cautious
by
nature.
And
still
others
are
fatalists
who
may