英国禁止代步神器悬浮滑板上路

They are the new favourite toy of the rich and famous, but it seems the likes of Lauren Goodger, Brooklyn Beckham and Rochelle Humes will no longer be able to use one to glide along the street.
悬浮滑板是富人和名人们的新欢，劳伦·古杰（Lauren Goodger）、布鲁克林·贝克汉姆（Brooklyn Beckham）和罗谢尔·休谟（Rochelle Humes）都对它喜爱有加，但是现在看来，他们再也不能踩着悬浮滑板在大街上滑来滑去了。

That’s because prosecutors have revealed that futuristic 'hoverboards' - also known as self-balancing scooters - are illegal to ride on public roads or pavements in Britain.
这是因为据检察官透露，在英国的公路或人行道上使用这种未来派的“悬浮滑板”（也称为自平衡滑板车）是违法的。

The £400 vehicles, which feature a platform with a wheel on each side, can only be used on private property because they are too dangerous to ride in public, the Crown Prosecution Service says.
英国皇家检察署（Crown Prosecution Service，CPS）表示，悬浮滑板只能在私人财产的土地上使用，因为在公共场所使用太危险了。这种滑板价值400英镑，有一个平台，两侧各有一个轮子。

The scooters, which are also known as ‘segways’, have become increasingly popular with actors and footballers over the past year - with many stars seen riding them both in public and at home.
在过去的一年里，这种也被称为赛格威平衡车的滑板车越来越受到演员和足球运动员的欢迎，很多明星经常在公开场合或家里玩这种滑板。

The CPS guidance was originally issued for Segways, which include a handlebar and are also not permitted on roads - but the Metropolitan Police said that it also covers hoverboards.
CPS的指南最初是针对赛格威（Segway）平衡车发布的。这种平衡车还有一个把手，也不允许上路，但是伦敦警察厅（Metropolitan Police）称，这一规定也适用于悬浮滑板。

It is an offence under section 72 of the Highway Act 1835 to ride them on the pavement in England and Wales - and, north of the border, under section 129(5) of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984.
根据1835年颁布的《高速公路法案》第72条，在英格兰和威尔士的人行道上使用滑板车是违法的，而在英国北部边界的苏格兰这一行为也是非法的，违反的是1984年颁布的《苏格兰公路法》第129条第五款的规定。

Meanwhile it is also illegal to ride them on a public road because they are not approved by the European or British test schemes for road-legal vehicles.
同时，在公路上脚踏滑板车出行也是违法的，因为它们没有通过欧洲或者英国的公路合法行驶工具准入测试。

CPS guidance states: ‘You can only ride an unregistered self-balancing scooter on land which is private property and with the landowner's permission.
CPS发布的指南规定：“未经登记的自平衡滑板车仅可在私人财产的土地上使用并需获得土地所有人许可。”

'The Department for Transport would advise that appropriate safety clothing should be worn at all times.’
“英国交通部（Department for Transport）建议使用滑板车时穿着适当的防护服装。”

Simon Benson, from hoverboard distributor Ghetto Gadgets, claimed that the legal clarification could boost the vehicles' profile and lead to them becoming even more popular.
悬浮滑板经销商Ghetto Gadgets的西蒙·本森（Simon Benson）称，这项明文规定会提升悬浮滑板的形象，使其更受欢迎。

'Clearly customers need to take advice, but millennials are not going to take kindly to the authorities using a law that pre-dates the penny-farthing to tell them what they can or can’t do on the streets of Britain.'
“顾客当然需要遵循建议，但是当局援引比古董自行车还久远的法律来告诉千禧一代在英国大街上什么能做什么不能做，这些年轻人可不会买账。”

鲁比·洛斯(图左)和珍奈莉·伊凡斯（图右）

The boards are also becoming massively popular in the US, with hundreds of different products now available in response to huge demand following their use by the likes of actor Jamie Foxx and singer Justin Bieber.
悬浮滑板在美国也掀起了一股热潮，演员杰米·福克斯（Jamie Foxx）和歌手贾斯汀·比伯（Justin Bieber）等人都是悬浮滑板的拥趸，从而带动了巨大的市场需求，成百上千种悬浮滑板产品琳琅满目。

American stars such as Kendall Jenner are being sent free samples of the boards by companies scrambling for market share and using celebrity endorsement to raise awareness of their products in a crowded marketplace.
悬浮滑板公司向肯达尔·詹娜（Kendall Jenner）这样的美国明星发放免费样车，以在竞争激烈的市场中争夺更多的份额、利用名人效应提高本公司产品的知名度。

The 19-year-old model posted on Instagram about how she was using the PhunkeeDuck board, and it got more than one million likes - sending demand through the roof.
这名19岁的模特在Instagram上贴出一张照片，展示了她是如何使用PhunkeeDuck滑板车的，获得了一百多万个赞，大大推高了市场需求。

There has also been a dispute between makers of the IO Hawk and PhunkeeDuck hoverboards over who invented the vehicle in the first place.
悬浮滑板生产商IO Hawk和PhunkeeDuck之间也就究竟谁最先发明了悬浮滑板而发生争端。

Last month Wal-Mart announced that it would be stocking the vehicle from November, saying that it expects it to be a big seller for Christmas.
上个月，沃尔玛宣布将从11月起储备悬浮滑板，表示沃尔玛预计悬浮滑板将在圣诞节大卖。

The law on using hoverboards in the US is not entirely clear, but 45 states are said to permit 'electric personal assistive mobility devices' - including Segways - on public rights of way.
悬浮滑板的相关法规在美国并不完全明确，但是据说有45个州依据公众通行权，允许“电动个人辅助移动设备”上路，包括赛格威。

Among the other products companies are using in an attempt to corner the market are the Hovertrax, Cyboard and Future Foot.
试图垄断悬浮滑板商品市场的公司推出的产品还有Hovertrax，Cyboard和Future Foot。

The CPS advice comes after a teenager was beaten in the face and robbed by four men for his £300 hoverboard in Enfield, north London - the first case of its kind in the capital.
CPS发布这项指南前，一个少年在伦敦北部的恩菲尔德（Enfield）被四个男人打伤面部，价值300英镑的悬浮滑板也被抢走了，这在伦敦是首例。

Police said the 18-year-old victim was riding the hoverboard when a car stopped in front of him and the gang surrounded him, before one of the attackers hit him and stole the vehicle.
警方表示，这名受害者18岁，当时他正在街上踩着滑板车滑行，一辆车停在他前面，一群人下来围住了他，之后一个人袭击了他并偷走了他的车。

USrapper Wiz Khalifa, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, was handcuffed by customs officials in August after refusing to get off his hoverboard at Los Angeles Airport in California.
美国说唱歌手维兹·卡利法（Wiz Khalifa），本名卡梅伦·吉布里尔·托马兹（Cameron Jibril Thomaz），8月份时因为在加州的洛杉矶机场拒绝从悬浮滑板上下来，被海关官员铐上了手铐。

Vocabulary

hoverboard：悬浮滑板

penny-farthing：前轮大后轮小的自行车(盛行于1870～1890 年间)

handcuff：用手铐铐住

英文来源：每日邮报

译者：李朗

审校&编辑：刘明