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  3. Mercedes estate cars and Fiat runarounds (轻便小汽车) are being used to test up to 22 different monitors designed to detect if a driv

Mercedes estate cars and Fiat runarounds (轻便小汽车) are being used to test up to 22 different monitors designed to detect if a driv

admin2020-04-14  29
问题     Mercedes estate cars and Fiat runarounds (轻便小汽车) are being used to test up to 22 different monitors designed to detect if a driver is falling asleep at the wheel and trigger a series of devices designed to wake them up.
    The aim of the project, funded by ￡4 million of European Union money as well as privates investment, is to reduce the estimated 30% of fatal accidents which are caused in Europe each year by drivers drifting off at the wheel. The test cars have been fitted with infrared cameras which monitor eye movement, touch-pad sensors that measure the driver’s grip on the steering wheel and chassis (汽车底盘) monitors which check for veer (转向). Should drivers start to doze off they can be quickly woken by a sudden blast of air-conditioned cold air. At the same time a vibrating alarm will sound and the driver’s seat will be made to shake.
    Daimler Chrysler, owner of Mercedes, as well as Fiat, will own the patent of the awake system, which could be installed in cars as soon as this year. If the trials are successful the EU is considering introducing a directive which would make the system compulsory in long-distance lorries—a leading cause of road accidents.
    According to transport department figures, more than 300 people die each year in Britain in accidents thought to be caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel.
    Ten people died in the Selby rail crash last year when a car driver fell asleep on a motor-way, crashed onto a railway line and derailed (使脱轨) a passenger train. Motoring organizations said the new system might prevent accidents such as Selby but were cautious as to whether it would prove practical.
    The safety system also monitors braking frequency and can detect eye movement towards the rear and side mirrors. As no one drives in exactly the same way, the system must "learn" the individual characteristics of its owner or owners.
    The researchers had considered systems that squirted (喷射) a refined version of smelling salts at the dozy motorist, opened the windows and activated the brakes automatically. However, such ideas have been abandoned as potentially dangerous, startling a driver and leading to sudden changes in steering.
According to the passage, road accidents in Europe are mainly caused by ______.
选项 A、drivers falling asleep at the wheel
B、long-distance lorry driving
C、cars without a safety system
D、drivers’ sudden changes in steering
答案B
解析 第3段末句指出公路事故的主要肇事者是长途货车，故而正确答案选B。
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