Technical assessment of the effect of regulations on road vehicle noise

The principal objective of this study is to obtain a global view of the effect of vehicle noise regulations on road traffic noise. The study has included assessments of the devel¬opment of vehicle noise emission limits over the past 25 years, the most important noise reduction measures on vehicles, changes in vehicle noise emissions over the past 25 years for various categories of road vehicles and for various driving conditions, expected effectiveness of the planned lowering of vehicle noise emission limits, and the reasons why the effectiveness of the regulations has been less than intended. Based on the findings, recommendations for consideration in future noise emission regulations are given.