Reference: The Economist Aug 31st, 2024
The article explores the dangers posed by the increasing size and weight of vehicles, particularly SUVs and trucks, on America's roads. While heavier vehicles offer more protection to their occupants, they significantly increase the risk to others, such as drivers of smaller cars, pedestrians, and cyclists. For instance, a 7,000-pound pickup can devastate a 3,000-pound compact car in a crash, as seen in a tragic accident in North Dakota where a heavy-duty truck killed a child and severely injured her mother.
重點單字：
- (which are) posed by 被導致
- while (con.) 雖然
- occupants (n.) 乘客、占有者、占用者（在交通工具、建筑或位置中）
- pedestrian (n.) 行人
- pickup (n.) 小貨車
- devastate (v.) 毀壞
- compact car (n.) 小型車
- as seen 就如同所看到的
- significantly (adv.) 醒著地
- heavy-duty truck (n.) 重型貨卡車
- severely (adv.) 嚴重地
The analysis by *The Economist* finds that vehicles in the heaviest 10% of the fleet are involved in far more fatal crashes compared to lighter vehicles, contributing to thousands of unnecessary deaths annually. Yet, despite these findings, carmakers continue to produce increasingly large vehicles, spurred by market demand and government policies that favor heavier vehicles, such as lenient fuel-efficiency standards and tax breaks. While safety features like automatic braking are touted, they do little to mitigate the dangers of size.重點單字：
- fleet (n.) 車隊
- fatal (adj.) 致命的
- contribute to （phr.) 導致
- annually (adv.) 每年地
- (which are) spurred (v.) 被鼓勵
- favor (v.) 喜好
- lenient (adj.) 寬容的
- tax breaks (n.)免稅
- automatic braking 自動煞車
- tout (v.) 尤指為了提高銷售額、知名度或推動發展）給…做廣告，宣傳，讚揚，吹捧
- mitigate (v.) 減輕、緩和
Surveys suggest that many Americans are aware of the risks posed by large vehicles, but policymakers and regulators have been slow to act. The rise of electric vehicles, which are often even heavier due to battery weight, may exacerbate the problem. Without stronger federal regulations, the trend of supersized, dangerous vehicles is unlikely to change soon.
重點單字：
- be aware of (phr.) 知道;意識到
- regulator (n.) 監管者
- exacerbate (v.) 使惡化
- federal regulations (n.) 聯邦規定
- supersized (adj.) 超級大的
- is unlikely to (phr.) 不太可能的
