Scientists invent bicycle that warns you if you are about to crash (2)

當道路上有障礙物,如燈柱,或者當其他騎自行車者從后方出現并打算超過時,這個平板電腦便會發出明亮的閃爍信號.

"Accidents often happen when cyclists look behind them or get a fright when they are passed at high speed," said Maurice Kwakkernaat, one of TNO's research scientists involved in the project.

一位參與該項目的荷蘭組織應用科學研究（TNO）的人員,莫里斯·科瓦勒納（Maurice Kwakkernaat ）說道："事故通常發生在當騎自行車者朝后看或者當被別人快速超車嚇到之時."

"The onboard system utilities technology already at work in the automotive industry," he said.

"機載系統實用技術已經在汽車行業得到廣泛應用."

Kwakkernaat said the devices would be useful for cyclists propelled along by the bicycle's electrical motor, which can reach a top speed of 25 kph (16 mph).

科瓦勒納表示,電機的時速能達到25千米每小時（16英里每小時）,這些裝置設備的作用將會很大.

"More and more elderly people are using a bicycle, not only for short distances, but also for longer distances," Dutch Environment and Infrastructure Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen told AFP.

荷蘭基礎設施與環境部（Dutch Environment and Infrastructure）部長梅拉妮·舒爾茨·凡·哈根（Melanie Schultz van Haegen）對法新社（AFP）記者表示："越來越多的老年人開始騎自行車,短途和長途的都有."

"This type of bicycle is truly needed in the Netherlands because it will help us down bring the number of elderly people who are injured every year and allow them to continue enjoy cycling," she said.

"這種自行車在荷蘭是非常有需求的.每年,老年人受傷數量眾多.而它將有助于降低老年受傷人數,并使他們依舊能夠享受自行車騎行的樂趣."

In the Netherlands, bicycles outnumber the population of 17 million by at least one million and there are some 25,000 kms of bicycle path in the country.

荷蘭的人口數量為1700萬,而自行車數量比人口數量多出至少一百萬.荷蘭國內的自行車車道總長大約有兩萬五千米.

Those statistics are set to grow as more and more people take to two-wheeled transport, leading to congestion and an increased risk of injury.

隨著越來越多的人騎行自行車,自行車數量也將不斷增長.而越多人騎自行車,也就增加了交通阻塞和人員受傷的風險.

Last year, 184 cyclists died in the country, of which 124, or 67.0 percent, were older than 65, according to the Centrals Statistics Office (CBS). The year before, 200 cyclists died, the overwhelming majority of victims also being elderly.

根據荷蘭中央統計辦公室（the Centrals Statistics Office）的數據顯示：去年,荷蘭有184位騎自行車者死亡,而其中124人（占67%）是超過65歲的老年人.前年死亡人數為200位,其中絕大多數也是老年人.

The current prototype weighs a hefty 25 kilogrammes (55 pounds) but researchers are working on making the on-board systems smaller.

目前這種標準自行車重達25千克（55磅）,研究人員正在努力把機載系統做得更小.