“Unequivocally (完全地) safer.” This is how Tesla CEO Elon Musk has described his company’s Autopilot capability — yet the data suggests that some equivocation (含糊其辞) might be in order.
“完全安全。”特斯拉首席执行官埃隆·马斯克如是形容公司的自动辅助驾驶功能——但相关数据显示，这番表述或许本就该留有余地。
A Post investigation reveals that the number of deaths and serious injuries associated with Tesla’s driver-assistance technology is greater than previously reported. The most recent accounting by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration includes 736 crashes since 2019, at least 17 of them fatal. The statistics have surged since last spring, as more vehicles with these systems have rolled onto the country’s roadways. The figures involve both Autopilot, which allows cars to cruise highways without human intervention, and the newer Full Self-Driving feature, which introduces automaton to city and residential streets.
《华盛顿邮报》的一项调查显示，与特斯拉驾驶辅助技术相关的致死和重伤事故数量，远超此前的报道数据。美国国家公路交通安全管理局最新统计显示，2019年以来相关事故已达736起，其中至少17起造成人员死亡。自去年春季起，随着搭载该类系统的车辆在全美道路上不断增多，这一数据出现激增。上述统计涉及特斯拉两项功能：一是可让车辆在高速公路上无需人类干预巡航的自动辅助驾驶功能，二是新增的、能在城市及居民区道路实现自动化行驶的完全自动驾驶功能。
The data can’tcapture incidents avoided by one of these tools slamming on the brakes at just the right moment. And the number of wrecks involving cars of all kinds, estimated to have killed more than 40,000 last year, dwarfs any statistic involving driver-assistance vehicles.
这些驾驶辅助系统曾在关键时刻紧急制动，避免了不少事故的发生，而这类情况并未被纳入上述数据统计。此外，去年各类车辆的交通事故致死人数预估超4万人，相较之下，任何与驾驶辅助车辆相关的事故数据都相形见绌。
Yet Tesla’s own safety claims suffer from a similar lack of context. The company has advertised, time and time again, the supposedly lower rate at which its vehicles crash compared with their human-piloted counterparts. But Autopilot is designed for highways — while most collisions occur in more complexenvironments, when motorists encounter cross-traffic, cyclists, pedestrians and more. Plus, the clients purchasing $45,000-plus electric vehicles tend to be well off, living in communities that experience fewer accidents in general.
然而特斯拉自身的安全宣称，也存在类似的背景信息缺失问题。该公司一再宣传，其车辆的事故率据称远低于人类驾驶的车辆。但自动辅助驾驶系统本就是为高速公路设计的——而绝大多数交通事故，都发生在路况更复杂的环境中，驾驶员会遭遇交叉车流、骑行者、行人等各类状况。此外，购买4.5万美元以上电动车辆的车主往往家境优渥，他们居住的社区整体事故发生率本就更低。
Another roadblock to solid conclusions: Tesla has asked the NHTSA not to disclose which system, Autopilot or Full Self-Driving, was in use during fatal crashes.
而要得出确凿结论，还存在另一重阻碍：特斯拉已要求美国国家公路交通安全管理局，不得披露致命事故发生时，车辆启用的是自动辅助驾驶还是完全自动驾驶系统。
Safety exaggerations have a cost — especially coupled with Mr. Musk’s aggressive marketing. Full Self-Driving, as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently pointed out, can’t really drive itself at all, much less fully. A human is supposed to pay attention, ready to intervene, at all times. But that’s not the message the company has sent. Many wrecks have resulted frompeople expecting their vehicles to handle situations they’re just not equipped to deal with. One driver in Germany who police say displayed “drug-related symptoms” fell asleep with Autopilot on, using a steering-wheel weight to trickthe system.
夸大安全性能是有代价的——尤其是再加上马斯克先生激进的营销手段。正如美国交通部长皮特·布蒂吉格近期所指出的，所谓的完全自动驾驶功能根本无法真正实现自主行驶，更谈不上“完全”二字。按照要求，驾驶员必须全程保持注意力集中，随时准备介入操作。但特斯拉传递出的却并非这一信息。许多事故的发生，都是因为车主误以为车辆能应对其根本无法处理的路况。德国就发生过这样一起事故：警方称一名驾驶员呈现出涉毒反应，他在开启自动辅助驾驶后睡着，还借助方向盘配重器骗过了车辆的监测系统。
Yet Tesla hasn’t taken its foot off the gas. Full Self-Driving was rolled out to almost 400,000 new users in barely a year — during which time nearly two-thirds of all reported driver-assistance crashes occurred. This lasted until the company was forced to recall 362,758 cars equipped with the system because they were programmed, in essence, to violate traffic laws at yellow lights and stop signs.
但特斯拉依旧没有放慢脚步。短短一年内，完全自动驾驶功能就推送给了近40万名新用户——而在此期间，上报的驾驶辅助系统相关事故中，有近三分之二都发生了。这种扩张态势一直持续到特斯拉被勒令召回362758辆搭载该系统的车辆才停止，究其本质，是这些车辆的程序设定存在问题，会在遇到黄灯和停车标识时违反交通法规。
Tesla has tried to correct past problems with its automation suite, including an apparent inability to detectstationary emergency vehicles. The NHTSA is probing those incidents, as well as fatal crashes involving motorcyclists. But the company should ensure it can prevent these and other reasonably foreseeable problems before introducing more automation at a rapid rate. The company should also level withthe public about what its cars can and cannot do, both in its advertising rhetoric and in its information-sharing.
特斯拉已尝试修正其自动驾驶套件过往的问题，其中就包括车辆明显无法识别静止应急车辆的缺陷。美国国家公路交通安全管理局目前正针对这类事故展开调查，同时也在调查涉摩托车的致死事故。但特斯拉应先确保能够防范这些问题，以及其他可合理预见的各类隐患，再大规模快速推出更多自动驾驶功能。该公司还应坦诚地向公众说明，旗下车辆究竟具备哪些能力、又有哪些局限，这一点既需体现在广告宣传中，也需落实在信息披露环节。
There’s reason to believe a driverless future will indeed be a safer future. But the way to get there isn’t to convince the public that underdeveloped capabilities are ready for prime time — or forrush hour.
我们有理由相信，无人驾驶的未来确实会是一个更安全的未来。但实现这一未来的路径，绝非让公众相信尚不成熟的技术已能正式投入使用——也绝非让其应对交通高峰的考验。
词汇：might be in order 本就该如此，实属恰当
slam on the brakes=put on the brakes 紧急制动，踩刹车
solid conclusions 确凿结论
hasn’t taken its foot off the gas 俚语“没有放慢脚步”
stationary emergency vehicles 静止应急车辆（警车、消防车、救护车等）
is probing 展开调查
level with the public 坦诚地向公众说明
prime time=rush hour 黄金时段
10个月宝宝每天需要喝多少奶粉？
