Vehicle Noise | Transport & Environment

Vehicle Noise

Illustration of a car with a huge speaker on top

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), noise is second only to air pollution in the impact it has on health. It is a major cause, not only of hearing loss, but also of heart disease, learning problems in children and sleep disturbance. Yet traffic noise could easily be halved, with existing technology, if more stringent limits were adopted. T&E is working at the EU and global level for tighter restrictions on sources of transport noise including cars, lorries and trains.

What’s happening?

In December 2011, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a new regulation aimed at tightening noise emissions standards for cars, vans, lorries and buses. To become law, the regulation now needs approval by the Parliament and member states. Vehicle noise standards were last updated in 1996, so were long overdue.

The Commission proposal, foresees a four-decibel reduction in noise emissions from cars and a three-decibel reduction from lorries. These tightened standards should enter into force five years after the regulation receives final approval, i.e. not before 2017. T&E, together with other environmental NGOs, has been advocating for the limits to be enforced faster, with an additional third step of reductions for all vehicles to be enforced in 2020.