隨著科技遍布全世界，智能手機成為了“通訊神器”。但是對于那些精力不集中的司機、騎行者和行人來說，手機在他們手里就是一把上膛的槍。

By Matt Prichard

Alexander Heit, a 22-year-old college student with good grades and a quick wit, was driving in Greeley, in the US state of Colorado, when he decided to reply to a text message on his phone.
22歲的亞歷山大?海特是名品學兼優、聰慧靈敏的大學生。有一天，他在美國科羅拉多州格里利市駕車行駛時，拿起手機準備回復一條短信。

"Sounds good my man, see ya soon, I'll tw"
“聽起來不錯，一會見啊老兄，我將……”

We don't know the rest. The message was interrupted by a crash. Heit died.
短信戛然而止，海特車禍而亡。他接下來想要發什么，我們無從得知。

While the young man was distracted, he drifted into oncoming traffic, according to the International Business Times.
據《國際財經時報》報道，他在分心發短信時，車子偏離方向撞上了迎面而來的車輛。

On my cycling trips around Beijing, I often think about the many tragic cases like Heit’s that I’ve read about in my home country over the years.
當我騎車環游北京時，我時不時的就會想起，多年來我的國家發生過很多類似于海特的慘痛事故.

I am astounded by the number of my fellow cyclists and also scooter riders who I see not only carrying on phone conversations but also only reading text on their phones. Their heads are down, eyes transfixed by a small luminous screen, oblivious to the world they’re rushing toward.
讓我十分震驚的是，我身邊的人無論是騎自行車還是摩托車，我看到有很多人不僅會拿著手機打電話，還會盯著手機看短信。他們低著頭，目光神游在那塊小小的發光屏里，早已無視身邊的世界。

Of course, the faster you’re going, the quicker a distraction can become a tragedy.
當然，人在分心時行駛的越快，悲劇就越容易發生。

Studies show that staring at a cellphone for 3 seconds while driving at 60 kilometers an hour is as dangerous as driving blind for 50 meters, according to Xie Caifeng, a fellow at the research office of Shunyi Court in Beijing, writing in a column published by China Daily last year.
2016年，北京市順義區人民法院研究室研究員謝彩鳳在《中國日報》發表的一篇專欄文章中指出，數據顯示，車輛時速60公里的情況下，低頭看3秒手機的危險系數相當于盲開50米。

Xie wrote that official statistics showed that “the use of cellphones while driving was the top reason for traffic accidents leading to death in Zhengzhou, Henan province”.
謝彩鳳寫道，官方統計數據顯示，“開車時使用手機是河南鄭州交通事故致死的主要原因”。

It is also illegal. According to the national traffic code, it is illegal to use hand-held phones while driving, and an offender can lose points on their license and receive a fine of up to 200 yuan ($29.75), Xie wrote.
文章提到，“這也是違法的。《中華人民共和國道路交通安全法實施條例》明確規定，駕車時使用手持電話是違法行為，違者罰款200元，并扣駕照分。”

Penalties are one deterrent, but education and social pressure also are important.
處罰雖是遏制手段之一，但是教育和社會壓力同樣很重要。

Two years ago, the Shanghai office of the media company Havas designed a campaign for the Global Road Safety Partnership using 350 smashed cell phones that had been in the hands of people who had died while texting in China, showing their last words.
2015年，哈瓦斯通訊社上海分社用350部碎裂的手機為全球道路安全合作伙伴組織（GRSP）制作了宣傳作品。這些手機的機主去世時都在拿著它們發短信，而屏幕上顯示了他們的臨終遺言。

They were mounted on black slabs like gravestones as part of an installation for Road Safety Day in 2015, which was made into a film, SMS Last Words.
它們被裝在如同墓碑般的黑色板子上，作為2015年交通安全日的一個裝置藝術展出，并被拍成電影《短信遺言》。

It showed heart-rending last exchanges like this one:
手機上顯示的最后一段對話，讓人心痛。就像這一條：

Driver: Don't worry, I'll be home quickly.
司機：不用擔心，我快到家了。

Mother: Ok, waiting for u!
媽：好的，等著你！

As technology has spread across the world, the mobile phones that are a communications miracle have become the equivalent of a loaded gun when in the hands of distracted drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
隨著科技遍布全世界，智能手機成為了“通訊神器”。但是對于那些精力不集中的司機、騎行者和行人來說，手機在他們手里就是一把上膛的槍。

Alexander Heit died back in 2013. By now, he would be 26, possibly starting a new job or business, maybe engaged to the love of his life.
亞歷山大?海特死于2013年。如果沒有死，今年他應該26歲了，或許剛開始一份新工作、新事業，也有可能和他的心上人訂婚了。

After his death, Heit’s parents issued this statement:
海特死后，他的父母發表了一份聲明：

"In a split second you could ruin your future, injure or kill others, and tear a hole in the heart of everyone who loves you."
“一秒鐘你能毀掉自己的未來，一秒鐘你能傷害或是殺死其他人，一秒鐘你能在所有愛你的人心上撕一道口子。”

So, please, put the phone away, or stop when you use it if you must. The risks are just too great.
所以，開車時請把手機放在一邊，或者如有必要，請停車后再用。低頭一眼，代價慘重。

英文來源：“CHINA DAILY”微信公眾號

譯者：謝秋睿
編審：丹妮 董靜
音頻編輯：焦潔

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Matt Prichard is a copy editor and writer who works on the front page team of China Daily. He has lived in China for more than four years, in Shanghai and Beijing. Before that, he had a 30-year career as a reporter and editor in the United States and Latin America. He has an ABJ from the University of Georgia and did postgraduate work at the Universidad Nacional del Sur in Argentina. He speaks Spanish fluently and is still learning Mandarin.