In addition to the discharge of climate-affecting substances and health-affecting substances, transportation also causes other environmental effects, of which noise is one of the more noticeable. Especially in urban areas. Some noise pollution can be eliminated through traffic and urban planning. But since commercial transport in many respects is the life blood of the economy, less noisy vehicles are called for.
Negative impact of undesired noise
Apart from hearing injuries, noise can give symptoms of stress such as raised blood pressure, raised heart rate, insomnia, difficulty in concentrating, headache and general tiredness. Therefore the EU Commission has set objectives and targets regarding noise pollution.
The objective is to reduce the number of people affected by long-term high levels of noise by around 10% by year 2010 and 20% by year 2020 (based on year 2000 and an estimated 100 million people).