Brussels, 06/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - No to vehicles that are too noisy and yes to less silent electric vehicles. Public health demands it and MEPs support enhanced EU legislation that significantly reduces harmful noise from motor vehicles and informs consumers about noise levels in new vehicles. In Strasbourg on 6 February, MEPs gave their opinion in first reading on the draft regulation on motor vehicle noise levels and subsequently gave a comfortable majority (401 votes for, 228 against and 20 abstentions) to the European Commission's proposal and went even further. Parliament is effectively demanding that hybrid and electric vehicles that are too silent to be heard by pedestrians and which are therefore potentially dangerous, can be made more audible through the installation of a warning system.
“The harmful impact of traffic noise has been scientifically proved but the legislative proposal is entirely focused on the noise generated by the vehicle engine. My idea was more comprehensive from the beginning. We need to address other factors such as road tar quality, aerodynamics and tyres”, said Miroslav Ouzky, a Czech member of the ECR group who is responsible for steering the legislation through Parliament.
The draft legislation amended by Parliament proposes to phase in new limits six and eight years after the new rules come into force. The first phase would apply to new vehicle models, the second to all new vehicles entering into service. The limit for standard cars would be reduced to 68 decibels (db) from 74 db currently. More powerful vehicles would be allowed a margin of 2 to 6 extra db. However, MEPs maintained the limit for the most powerful heavy lorries (over 12 tonnes) at 81 db. Parliament also recognises that vehicle noise is also affected by the road surface, tyre noise and aerodynamics.
Members also want new cars to be labelled on their noise performance to inform consumers. Similar labelling schemes already exist for fuel efficiency, tyre noise and CO2 emissions. For electric and hybrid car engines, Parliament wants compulsory requirements in future to add sound to these vehicles and points to a number of standards that must first be developed for such Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems (AVAS).
This future regulation will abrogate the obsolete 70/157/EEC directive. The issue of public health is significant because permanent exposure to high traffic noise can exhaust human body reserves, disturb the regulatory functions of vital organs and cause disease, particularly cardiovascular problems. Half of all EU citizens who live in urban zones are exposed to traffic induced noise emissions that are above 55 db . (AN/transl.fl)