Car noise
Nuisance of noisy cars not tackled, as loud lobby wins out
The European Parliament today voted to confirm a legislative agreement revising EU rules on noise from vehicles. The Greens criticised the outcome of the legislative review, with Green environment and public health spokesperson Satu Hassi (MEP, Finland) stating:
"The outcome of this legislative review is victory for the noisy car lobby at the expense of the vast majority of European citizens and public health. The loud lobby from manufacturers of noisy cars was successful in considerably weakening the legislation based on what was proposed and what is in the interest of the vast majority of EU citizens.
"Despite the clear evidence of the negative impact of noise pollution on public health, the final legislation will mean business-as-usual for vehicle noise pollution. The overall result will lead to no meaningful improvement in noise level of new vehicles sold in the EU until 2026. Given this is the first time this legislation has been updated in 20 years, this is a grossly irresponsible act and a massive missed opportunity."
