Together with creating air pollution due to their exhaust gases, vehicles also cause noise pollution. Air pollution is the gravest kind of pollution that affects people and the second one that also harms people’s health is noise pollution. Sometimes people are not aware of this noise, but in some cases, it can damage hearing, cause heart problems or have an impact on sleep patterns.
What exactly causes noise?
There are a lot of different reasons why vehicles produce noise. While some of them are due to their design, others are because of the malfunction of some vehicle part. There is interior and exterior noise. Interior noise is annoying for the drivers and makes them deconcentrated. Exterior noise disturbs the people outside the car and disables them to take a rest or focus on their thoughts while walking down the street, because of the roar of the vehicles.
The noise that the engine produces is the main reason for noise pollution. Resonance in some vehicle parts can also be the reason for the noise. Brake squeal can be an irritating problem that leads to noise pollution and the solution for this may be the lubrication of discs or removal of the gathered dust.
Some things that are related to the design, such as door shutting, usually cause the noise if a person who shuts the door is not sensitive, or the door is old and overused. The quality of tires and the material they are made of is also an important factor in creating or preventing noise. A better material creates a softer contact with the road surface and the noise is silenced.
Who faces the biggest problem?
People who live in city centers, where there are a lot of vehicles and traffic jams, have the worst experience with the noise. Also, people living close to national roads face this problem on a regular basis. Developing countries have fewer problems with noise than developed ones because of the growth of industrialization.
Reduction of noise pollution
Manufacturers should control the levels of noise inside the car. They have to perform all of the tests before launching a vehicle. But, sometimes, there is no solution for this. For example, sports cars’ exhaust pipes are bigger and more air flows through them and they produce more sound. They can’t be quiet. Also, a driver has to be careful and drive properly in order not to make unnecessary noise such as gear displacement.
Another solution to this problem is to avoid driving a car if it is not necessary. Whenever it is possible, people could ride bikes or walk, so there will be fewer vehicles on the streets and therefore less noise pollution.