Interpol’s asf-smv database

In the UK a vehicle is stolen every ... minutes. In the US, this happens every ... seconds. The police find fewer than half of these vehicles.

INTERPOL – the international criminal police organization – has an international database with details of stolen vehicles. This is the Automated Search Facility Stolen Motor Vehicle (ASF-SMV) database.

At the end of 2008, the database had more than ... million records of reported stolen motor vehicles.

... countries use the database regularly.

In 2008, the ASF- SMV database helped police to recover more than ... motor vehicles worldwide.

U N I T 3

Traffic offences and penalties

Vocabulary Notes

1 offence – нарушение

2 penalty – штраф, наказание

3 apart – кроме, не считая

4 illegal – незаконный

5 law enforcement – деятельность правоохранительных органов

6 ignorance – невежество, неосведомленность

7 excuse – оправдание

8 requirement – требование

9 visibility – видимость, обзор

10 to necessitate – делать необходимым, требовать; вызывать

11 to fine – штрафовать

12 to require – требовать

13 to wear – носить

14 to vary – менять, изменять; отличаться

15 to restrain – сдерживать, ограничивать

16 rear – расположенный сзади, задний

17 authority – власть, полномочие

18 to commit – совершать

19 favour – поддерживать, содействовать

20 payment – плата

21 convinced – убежденный, уверенный

22 to cause – быть причиной, заставлять

23 failure – невыполнение, неосуществление

24 to offend – нарушать (что-л.)

25 seatbelt – ремень безопасности

26 regarding – относительно, касательно

27 spot – место

28 adequate – соответствующий, адекватный

29 traffic – движение, сообщение, транспорт

30 break (broke, broken) – нарушать

Read the following text and comment on it.

T E X T 3A

Traffic offences and penalties

Apart from speeding, jumping red traffic lights and illegal parking, the most common driving offences worldwide are dangerous and aggressive driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, and (where illegal) using a mobile phone while driving.

However, what is considered an offence in one country may not be in another, so it is necessary for motorists to find out about regulations before they drive abroad, as law enforcers do not consider ignorance as an adequate excuse for breaking the law. In many Western European countries (including France, Spain and Italy),for example, it is a legal requirement to keep a reflector vest in your vehicle for the driver to wear for increased visibility in case of an accident or any other reason which might necessitate him or her to leave the vehicle at night. Police are allowed to fine motorists who do not carry them in their cars, even if they have driven from a country where this is not yet a legal requirement.

Most countries require that motorcyclists must wear helmets and car drivers must wear seatbelts, but the law regarding passengers and seatbelts vary from country to country, as does the use of mobile phones while driving, or having alcohol in the car (even if you are not drinking it).

The age at which a child may sit in the front seat of a car also varies from country to country: in the UK children are normally allowed to sit in the front of cars if they use correct restrains, whereas in France children under the age of 10 cannot be seated in the front seat unless they have a special rear-facing seat.

Most countries around the world require drivers to pass an official test before they are issued with a driving license permitting them to drive certain (restricted) types of vehicles. In Europe, people are usually able to drive from the age of 17 or 18. In some US states, the legal age is as 14.

The credit-card style plastic driving license with photo (similar to the US driving license) is now the standard within Europe; however some drivers still hold older, non-standard paper licenses. The issuing bodies vary between countries. In the UK, licenses are issued by central issuing body based in Wales, whereas in other countries licenses are issued (and taken away) by local authorities.

Many countries operate a points system. For each offence committed, a certain amount of points are added to the driving license. If a specified number of points is reached, the driver may lose his driving license for a set period of time.

Again, penalties and fines for similar offences vary greatly from country to country as does the method of payment. On the spot fines are common in some parts of the world: others favour payment by cheque or bank transfer.

Read and translate the text and do the following exersises.

T E X T 3B

Driving offences and penalties in Great Britain

It goes without saying, what is considered an offence in one country may not be in another, so it is necessary for motorists to find out about regulations before they drive abroad, as law enforcers do not consider ignorance as an adequate excuse for breaking the law.

In the UK, if you are convinced of dangerous driving, for example if you cause an accident because you are using a mobile phone, or if you don’t stop at a red traffic light and you hit another vehicle, you will automatically lose your driving licence, and you may also have to pay an unlimited fine. If the accident is very serious and you kill someone, you may also go to prison for up to 14 years.

You must stop if you have an accident, and you must report it to the police. Failure to report an accident, or driving away after you have an accident, are serious offences. You may have to pay a fine of up to £5,000 and you might go to prison for up to six months.

The penalty for most other traffic offences is a fine of some kind, and penalty points on your licence. This means you lose your license if you offend too often. The highest fines are up to £2,500 for speeding offences, and up to £5,000 for driving after drinking too much alcohol.

The penalty for talking on a mobile phone when you are driving is £1,000, but this goes up to £2,500 if you are driving a bus or an HGV.

Exersise 1. Look through the text once again and complete the following table.

Driving offences and penalties in Great Britain
Offence	Penalty	Fine
Causing death by dangerous driving	up to (1) ... in prison	unlimited
Dangerous driving	lose (2) ...	(3) ....
Failure to stop or report an (4) ...	up to (5) ... in prison	up to £5,000
Speeding offences	penalty points	up to (6) ...
Drink driving	lose license	up to (7) ...
Using a mobile phone (car)	penalty points	up to £1,000
Using a mobile phone ((8) ... or bus)	penalty points	up to (9) ...

Grammar

have to don’t have to may/might.

We use have to to talk about rules that are necessary.

We use may/might for possibilities, or things that can happen.

Exersise 2. Make true sentences about driving offences and penalties in our country. Use have to or may/might and these expressions:

pay a fine, get penalty points on your licence, go to prison, lose your licence (permanently/temporarily), wear seatbelts, take a driving test

1 If you park in a non-stopping area, you …

2 If you drink and drive, you …

3 If you exceed the speed limit, you …

4 If you want to drive, you …

5 All your passengers …

6 If you cause an accident by dangerous driving, you …

7 If you don’t have a driving licence and drive, you …

8 If you don’t stop at a red traffic light, you …

9 If you use a mobile phone when you are driving, you …

10 If you hit another vehicle, you

Read the following text and comment on it.

T E X T 3C

Only stricter traffic laws can prevent accidents

From the health point of view we are living in a marvellouse age. We are immunized from the birth against many of the most dangerous diseases. A large number of once fatal illnesses can now be cured by modern drugs and surgery. It is almost certain that one day remedies will be found for the most stubborn remaining diseases. The expectation of life has increased enormously. But though the possibility of living a long and happy life is greater than ever before, every day we witness the incredible slaughter of men, women and children on the roads. Man versus the motor-car! It is a never-ending battle which man is losing. Thousands of people the world over are killed or horribly mutilated each year and we are quietly sitting back and letting it happen.

It has been rightly said that when a man is sitting behind a steering wheel, his car becomes the extension of his personality. There is no doubt that the motor-car often brings out a man’s very worst qualities. People who are normally quiet and pleasant may become unrecognizable when they are behind a steering-wheel. They swear, they are ill-mannered and aggressive, wilful as two-year-olds and utterly selfish. All their hidden frustrations, disappointments and jealousies seem to be brought to the surface by the act of driving.

The surprising thing is that society smiles so benignly on the motorist and seem to condone his behavior. Everything is done for his convenience. Cities are allowed to become almost uninhabitable because of heavy traffic; towns are made ugly by huge car parks; the countryside is desecrated by road networks; and the mass annual slaughter becomes nothing more than a statistic, to be conveniently forgotten.

It is high time a world code were created to reduce this senseless waste of human life. With regard to driving, the laws of some countries are notoriously lax and even the strictest are not strict enough. A code which was universally accepted could only have a dramatically beneficial effect on the accident rate. Here are a few example of the things that might be done. The driving test should be standardized and made far more difficult than it is; all drivers should be made to take a test every three years or so; the age at which young people are allowed to drive any vehicle should be raised to at least 21; all vehicles should be put through stringent annual test for safety. Even the smallest amount of alcohol in the blood can impair a person’s driving ability. Present drinking and driving laws (where they exist) should be made much stricter. Maximum and minimum speed limits should be imposed on all roads. Governments should lay down safety specifications for manufactures, as has been done in the USA. All advertising stressing power and performance should be banned. These measures may sound inordinately harsh, but surely nothing should be considered as too severe if it results in reducing the annual toll of human life. After all, the world is for human beings, not for motor-cars.

Exersise 1. Work in pairs. Student A look at the first part of the text. Student B study the second part. Ask each other questions to complete your text. Use a dictionary and be prepared to explain difficult words to your partner in English.

Model: What do taxi drivers have to carry in Australia?

What can’t drivers do in Alaska?

Unusual driving laws of the world

Student A

Some parts of the world have unusual driving laws. Some of these laws are historic and have never been changed. Others exist for different reasons which can seem strange to outsiders.

1 If taxi drivers in Finland play music in their cars while they are driving customers, they have to ... .

2 Luckily for dogs, in Alaska, it is illegal to tie a dog to the roof of the car.

3 Women, if you go for a drive in California, don’t forget that it is illegal to drive a car if you are wearing a housecoat. It is also useful to know that the speed limit for a vehicle without a driver is 60 miles/80 km an hour.

4 If you take a taxi in Australia, ask the driver what is in the boot/trunk of the car. By law, it is compulsory for taxis to... .

5 Drivers in New Jersey will be happy to know that it is illegal to plant trees in the middle of the road.

6 If you go to New York, make sure you are happy with what you are wearing before you drive into town. It is illegal to ... .

7 You have to think fast if you are driving in Oregon. In this American state, you can ... .

8 It is not illegal to drink beer in Rhode Island but it is illegal to drive with beer in your car. Even if the beer isn’t open, this is still an offence.

Student B

Look at the text about unusual driving laws of the world. Ask Student A questions to complete the missing information.

1 If taxi drivers in Finland play music in their cars while they are driving customers, they have to pay royalty fees to the Finnish Copyright Society.

2 Luckily for dogs, in Alaska, it is illegal to ... .

3 Women, if you go for a drive in California, don’t forget that it is illegal to drive a car if ... . It is also useful to know that the speed limit for a ... is 60 miles/80 km an hour.

4 If you take a taxi in Australia, ask the driver what is in the boot/trunk of the car. By law, it is compulsory for taxis to carry a bale of hay in the boot.

5 Drivers in New Jersey will be happy to know that it is illegal to … .

6 If you go to New York, make sure you are happy with what you are wearing before you drive into town. It is illegal to undress when you are in your vehicle.

7 You have to think fast if you are driving in Oregon. In this American state, you can get a ticket (and have to pay a fine) if your car door stays open too long.

8 It is not illegal to drink beer in Rhode Island but it is illegal to ... . Even if ... isn’t open, this is still an offence.

HUMOUR

Exersise 2. Memorize and recite the following anecdote. Render it in Reported Speech.

Speed Limit

Sitting on the side of the highway waiting to catch speeding drivers, a State Police Officer sees a car puttering along at 22 MPH.

He thinks to himself, “This driver is just as dangerous as a speeder!” so he turns on the lights and pulls the driver over. Approaching the car, he notices that there are five old ladies, two in the front seat and three in the back, wide eyed and white as ghosts. The driver, obviously confused, says to him, “Officer, I don’t understand, I was doing exactly the speed limit! What seems to be the problem?”

“Ma’am,” the officer replies, “You were not speeding, but you should know that driving slower than the speed limit can also be a danger to other drivers.”

“Slower than the speed limit? No sir, I was doing the speed limit exactly twenty-two miles an hour!” the old woman says a bit proudly.

The State Police officer, trying to contain a chuckle, explains to her that “22” was the route number, not the speed limit.

A bit embarrassed, the woman grinned and thanked the officer for pointing out her error.

“But before I let you go, Ma’am, I have to ask … Is everything in this car OK? These women seem awfully shaken and they haven’t muttered a single peep this whole time,” the officer asks.

‘Oh, they’ll be all right in a minute officer. We just got off Route 142.”

Read the following text and comment on it.

T E X T 3D

_{What's in a name?}

Have you ever thought about car names? Do they actually mean anything? And do you know what the name of your car means?

For example, you may think 'Rover' is just a name, but there is never just a name in marketing. A rover is a wanderer – someone who likes to travel around. So the name suggests mobility, freedom, having fun, and going wherever you want to go. These were important qualities when Rover cars first came on the market.

Marketing departments of car companies spend a lot of time and money thinking up names for cars. The names should be a reflection of the brand, product, and target group. The car you drive tells the world about your status, how much money you have, and the socio-economic group you belong to (or want to belong to). Good car names are catchy and fit the product, such as the 'Beetle' or the 'Mini'.

The name should also appeal to a global audience. At the very least, the name should not mean anything bad in another language. (This was why Rolls-Royce decided not to use the name 'Silver Mist' for one model: mist means animal manure in German!)

American car makers like to give their SUVs names that remind people of the Wild West, full of adventure and danger. Did you know that 'Wrangler' is another word for cowboy? Or that 'Maverick' means an unbranded cow that has strayed from the herd? People who own SUVs seldom drive them off-road, but they enjoy the feeling of excitement that the name creates.

Exersise 1. Answer the following questions.

a) How important is the name of a car to you?

b) Would you buy a car even if you didn't like the name?

c) How many car names do you know the meaning of?

d) Imagine you work in the marketing department of a large car manufacturer and you want to produce a small sports car with women as a target group. What would you call it?

Translation Check

Choose one of the paragraphs and translate it in writing. Use the dictionary if necessary.

T e x t 1

§ 1. Formula 1. The roaring engines. Speeds of up to 200 miles an hour. Millions of dollars at stake (поставлены на карту). And it all takes place in front of millions of viewers, across five continents. In this crazy motoring circus, world champion Michael Schumacher has remained a stable, mysterious figure; keeping as low a profile as possible. He felt this was the only way to survive in a world where nerves must be made of steel and seconds count.

§ 2. Formula 1 racing originated in 1950, but was a very different sport then to what we see nowadays. The talent and courage of a driver made all the difference. These days, Formula 1 is a million-dollar industry. The role of the driver has diminished substantially with the last decade's rapid developments in technology. What you drive has become more important than how you drive.

§ 3. Taking that into account, Benetton, the company for which Schumacher first raced, was perfect for him. At the time, they had the fastest cars. But, despite the technical perfection that Benetton offered, Schumacher signed 'a dream contract' with Ferrari in 1995. Despite losing his world title that season to the UK driver Damon Hill, Schumacher's legendary self-confidence had not been damaged.

§ 4. One of the magazines wrote this about Schumacher in the late 90s: “What is remarkable about this 27-year-old German is that, even for a racing driver, he seems really dispassionate. He shows no signs of emotion or weakness. From the beginning of his career he has been called a variety of names: boring, self-confident, and even a robot. Yet Schumacher has never worried about this and has never made any attempt to change his image. He has simply gone on with the task of winning races, and has become the youngest ever world champion.”

§ 5. Schumacher fell in love with racing at a very early age when his father put him in a car at the age of four. By the age of 18 he had won the German and European championships. Mercedes trained him in their sportscar team, and he made his debut in the World Championships in 1991. Unfortunately, his debut performance was short-lived. After one lap he had to withdraw, but he had made his mark. Twelve months later he achieved his first victory. Within two years, he was world champion. His achievements began to attract attention from talent hunters for the big teams.

§ 6. Many experts have tried to analyse Schumacher's career success, but he has his own ideas about what has helped him achieve so much at a young age: "Working more and harder than the rest, always looking for something that can win you a hundredth-of-a-second, and if you cannot find anything, trying again. There are a lot of racers in the same league and level. The technical aspect is essential. Being an ex-mechanic, made me good at that. I instinctively felt what the car needed. I could translate what I had felt through to my mechanics perfectly so they could adjust the car just right. You could always find me to be the first in and the last remaining in the garage."

T e x t 2

TopFit Truck

A trucker clocks up several hundred ki­lometers every day. Those who transport goods across borders often spend one or two weeks on the road at a time. That adds up to several thousand kilometers that have to be traveled before they can return home. During this time, the cab serves as their workplace and living space. Whether it's fruit from Spain or Italy being shipped to Berlin or machine components from southern Germany headed east, each trip helps to keep the modern flow of goods moving – in Germany, in Europe, and around the world. In this economic system, time is money and the pressure is huge. Basic conditions such as high traffic congestion, shot-interval supply chains, and a chronic shortage of parking spaces make the logistics of long-distance haulage a huge challenge. The mental tension that is generated can soon lead to physical stress and exhaustion.

As part of its "TopFit Truck" project, Daim­ler Trucks has developed a research vehicle that offers marathon truckers a wealth of high-tech solutions to these problems. The goal of the working group (the team in­cluded musicologists, sport scientists, sleep researchers, human biologists, psycholo­gists, transport scientists, and cytophysiologists) was to develop solutions that would en­sure better ergonomics and greater comfort in the truck of the future. This is important, because the vehicle is not only a workplace but also a temporary home for long-haulage trucker. And the teem has significantly en­hanced comfort in the driver's cab by means of a whole range of innovations. Trucks have been transformed into high-tech machines in recent years.

Now the TopFit Truck cockpit offers a whole range of new and unusual operation features that are not available in a conventional vehicle. It contains a massage seat and a fold-out bed that is wider than usual. All of these special features create an environment that reflects the changed attitude at Daimler regarding ergonomics and comfort in long-haulage trucks. The truck created by the TopFit Truck team is a singular vehicle that has been consistently designed with this attitude in mind.

A key aspect of the fundamental research that preceded the development of the TopFit Truck research vehicle was to fine-tune the relationship between the driver's sleep and his or her driving behavior. After all, the crual phases of rest and relaxation for truck­er largely occur in the cab, which is then transformed into a living area and bedroom. Actually, good sleep should be important to everyone involved in the shipping busi­ness. That's because only fit and well-rested drivers can optimally exploit their driving expertise and their economical and ecological driving style. Stud­ies have in fact shown that truckers who don't sleep well or long enough are less attentive while they are driving, and that they consume larger amounts of fuel as a result.

The TopFit Truck program not only pro­vides a passive atmosphere of comfort on­board but also actively influences the cab environment by emitting various relaxing or invigorating scents as required. This inno­vative stimulus feature was studied and de­veloped by Daimler in cooperation with the cytophysiologist Prof. Hanns Hatt from the Ruhr-Universitat Bochum. The emission of the scents is controlled by the onboard computer in accordance with the driving situation and the driver's individual preferences. Prof. Hatt differentiates here between the effectiveness of scents that are perceived as pleasant and the effect of "scents that impact all people equally and acutely as 'waker-uppers' by trig­gering our 'warning nerves' – for example, menthol."

It may also be possible to use "anti-scents" in the future, says Hatt. These are substances that attack molecules which transport scents that people perceive as unpleasant. "This type of application has potential not only for trucks but also for pas­senger cars," says the cytophysiologist.

The truck's onboard electronics system also includes a unique digital music database. This is an important element of the project, because music is more than art or enter­tainment. Music can in fact influence up to 50 different parameters of the human organism – from pulse rate to blood flow in the brain and the release of cer­tain hormones. The TopFit Truck exploits this phenomenon by selectively playing different types of music.

A soft program determines which song from the database of a trucker’s personal music collection is played – all in accordance with the driving situation at hand. In this manner, the driver's attention is activated by playing fast and loud music during monoto­nous and quiet driving phases, for example. Conversely, quiet and more relaxing music is played during stressful driving phases. In city traffic and similar situations that place excep­tionally high demands on driver coordination and concentration, the truck turns off the mu­sic completely.

The personal music library is also used to create the proper atmosphere for the driver's power nap. When the driver takes this brief nap, the TopFit Truck's massage seat moves to a very high position, allowing the driver to place his or her legs onto a round cushion that is put over the steering wheel.

The trucker hears quiet relaxing music when he or she takes a break. Later on, in­creasingly stimulating songs are played as the driver is woken up and put in a positive mood in preparation for the next segment of the marathon journey.

T e x t 3

Matter of Habit?

I never used to go anywhere without the car. I regarded it as an essential part of myself. But when the price of petrol doubled in one year, I resolved not to use the car except when absolutely necessary.

For example, I always used to take the car when I went to fetch the papers on Sunday morning, although our newsagent’s is only 10 minutes’ walk away; now I go on foot.

I tell myself that I’m not only economizing on petrol but keeping fit at the same time. It’s all a question of habit really. I’m sure you can get used to anything if you try and I rely feel that I rely on the car less than I used to.

Besides now that we live in the suburbs, I can walk down the road and catch a bus to the office or to any other part of the town. We used to live in the country about 15 miles from town and then I would frequently drive to and fro twice in one day. That meant I would use 15 gallons of petrol and more in a week; now I need half that amount.

The trouble is that I am also getting used to the petrol prices. They don’t seem so very high to me any more. Perhaps it’s easier to get accustomed to expensive petrol than it is to doing without the car.

T e x t 4

LONDON

The British capital is often called the only bona fide "globa city" in all of Europe. Appropriately, it is also a showcase for the transport concepts of the future.

MOBILITY The London Congestion Charge is likely the world's best-known toll. It has reduced the traffic volume in the British capital by 15 percent. The congestion charge, the equivale of about 10 per day, must be paid for all vehicles driven into the center of London – except for electric vehicles, such as the small fleet of electric-powered smart fortwo cars that has been on the city's streets since 2008. With their 30 kW electric motors, these smart cars are environmentally friendly that they aren't subject to the toll. But their drivers wouldn't have to pay the toll in any event – because the smart vehicles are being used by the London Police.

What's more, ten 7.5-ton trucks with hybrid drive have been in use in London for two years. The Fuso Canter Eco Hybrids are made by the Daimler subsidiary Mitsubishi Fuso and Bus Corporation, which produces the truck in small batches and has been offering it in Japan since 2006. Hybrid components have been added to the series production version. The operators, including the logistics companies DHL, Royal Mail, and TNT, are enjoying fuel savings of up to 15 percent with the hybrid vehicles, compared to conventional diesel trucks.

T e x t 5

CLEAN CARS, CLEAN FUELS

Performance and style have always been higher priorities for automobile manufacturers than reducing environmental pollutants. Concerned with an ever-increasing number of automobiles on California's congested hghways – automobiles that burn too much gasoline – this state decided to legislate a clean, efficient car. In addition, many other states have followed California's lead and toughened their emission standards, putting further pressure on carmakers.

Carmakers, however, have been unable to arrive at a consensus about what type of fuel should be used in low-emission cars. A company that invests heavily in a car designed for a fuel that does not become the industry standard could easily go bankrupt. A consensus among manufacturers is also needed in order to make the newly designed cars affordable.

What are some of the fuels being considered by carmakers? An engine that runs on electricity is much cleaner and quieter than a gasoline engine. However, electric cars are cleaner than gasoline-powered cars only when the source of their electricity is natural gas or solar energy. If electricity comes from a coal-fired power plant, electric cars actually produce more emissions than gasoline-powered cars.

Methanol and ethanol are alcohol fuels that burn much cleaner than gasoline and can be made from renewable resources such as agricultural waste. Other possibilities are to reformulate gasoline so it burns with fewer emissions and to improve the design of the conventional gasoline-powered internal-combustion engine so it is more efficient.

Liquid hydrogen is an extremely clean fuel, and some car designs have fuel cells that combine stored hydrogen with oxygen from the air to produce electricity.

T a s k. The following statements describe the advantages and disadvantages of the transport by road, rail, sea and air. Work in pairs. Discuss which are advantages and which are disadvantages.

a) Low capacity of load

b) High travelling speed

c) Transshipment to other forms of transport essential

d) Very high capacity of load

e) Low freight rate

f) High speed delivery

g) Restrictions on weight and size

h) Cheap insurance because goods are at risk for shorter period

i) Rarely affected by weather conditions

j) Inflexible timetable

k) Delays due to bad weather

l) High capacity means disproportionate increase in transit time

m) World-wide transport operation

n) Quicker and cheaper for distances up to 200 kilometres

o) Operating and maintenance costs are high

p) Heavier packaging

q) Slow speeds

r) Continuous operation on 24-hours basis

s) Quicker and cheaper for distances over 200 kilometres

t) No transshipment- door-to-door delivery

u) Low speed over long distances

v) Flexibility in regular or special deliveries

w) High freight rates

x) Often returns empty to point of departure

y) Security problems

z) Less frequent services

Decide which forms of transport the statement refer to. Make the chart of the advantages and disadvantages of the different forms of transport. Remember that some of the statements can refer to more than one form of transport.

	Advantages	Disadvantages
Road
Rail
Sea
Air

Form groups of four. Each person should choose one form of transport and present a short explanation of its advantages and disadvantages.

U N I T 4