美国人开车时做些什么？化妆？戴隐形？

美国人开车时做些什么？化妆？戴隐形？

U.S. drivers eat, shave, email -- oh, and drive

[ 2007-01-25 09:08 ]

Talk on the phone while you're driving? Fix your makeup? Check e-mail? You're not alone.

A survey released on Monday shows 81 percent of Americans do more than drive when they're behind the wheel. More than eight of 10 people surveyed by Nationwide Mutual Insurance said they adjust the radio or music while they drive, while 73 percent talk on the phone, 68 percent eat, 19 percent send text messages and 5 percent checked their e-mail. Personal hygiene was also a big driver distraction, with 19 percent fixing their hair, 12 percent putting on makeup and 2 percent shaving while at the controls of a car. "Clearly Americans have much to do and little time to do it, so to cope with that we've become multi-taskers," said Bill Windsor, associate vice president of Safety at Nationwide. "The problem with that is driving requires focus, and multi-tasking while driving puts you and your fellow drivers at risk." Drivers in the survey also admitted to changing seats with passengers, watching a movie, painting their toenails, nursing a baby and putting in contact lenses while driving. Younger drivers multi-task the most, the survey found, with 35 percent of 18-to-27 year olds saying they always multi-task in the car, compared to 21 percent of baby boomers. Windsor said the consequences for young drivers are severe, with car accidents being the number one cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 27. "The bottom line is if it can be done in the kitchen, bathroom, office or bedroom, it should not be done in the car," Windsor said. While some U.S. jurisdictions require hands-free devices for cellphone use in cars, most of the activities listed in the survey are not illegal unless they are determined to be the cause of an accident. The survey of 1,200 drivers between the ages of 18 and 60 found that while 83 percent believe they are safe drivers, 38 percent admitted they have driven a certain distance without any recollection of doing so. 双语资讯

(Reuters)

“但问题在于，开车的时候一定要集中注意力，如果三心二意则会让你自己和路上的其他司机都面临危险。 接受调查的司机承认他们在开车时曾与乘客交换过座位、看过电影、涂过脚趾甲、给孩子喂过奶，还戴过隐形眼镜。 调查发现，年轻司机在开车时最容易分心。在18至27岁的司机中，有35%的人说他们开车时常会做一些其它的事情，而这一比例在“婴儿潮”这代人中则为21%。 温莎说，年轻司机开车时三心二意会造成严重后果，车祸是美国18至27岁这一年龄段的人死亡的头号杀手。 “问题是，如果一件事情能在厨房、浴室、办公室或卧室里处理，就不应该在开车时处理。” 尽管美国一些辖区规定必须在车上安装手机免提接听装置，但此项调查中所列的大多数行为如果不是事故发生的直接原因，则都被认定为合法。 这项共有1200名年龄在18岁至60岁的司机参加的调查发现，83%的人认为自己是安全驾驶，38%的人承认他们开了一段距离之后才意识到自己在开车。

Vocabulary:         

put on makeup : 意为“化妆”