VEHICLE HORNS
CONTEXT:
- Centre plans to enforce an upper limit of around 50 decibels in a crackdown on loud vehicle horns, a sharp reduction on existing permissible levels.
MORE ABOUT THE NEWS:
- The centre propose to amend the Central Motor Vehicle Rules to fix maximum permissible noise levels of horns on vehicle to around 50 decibels from over 70 decibels now.
- Also, certain tunes may also be suggested for adoption so that the sound of a horn becomes soothing to the ear and the audio quality just serves the purpose of providing sufficient warning of the approach or position of the vehicle and not an irritant to ears.
- Current regulations mandate a maximum of 80-91 decibels for two wheelers, three wheelers, cars and commercial vehicle.
- The changes in rules for horns will make it mandatory for vehicle manufacturers to comply with specifications and make the necessary changes in vehicle design.
- All existing vehicles would also be shifted to new noise norms for horns in a phased manner.
- The plan on specifying reduced noise levels of horns will be drawn up after studying a report from the National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).
ABOUT SOUND POLLUTION:
- Noise pollution is the pollution caused by sound which results in various problems for Humans.
- A sound is a form of energy that enables us to hear. We hear the sound from the frequency range of 20 to 20000 Hertz (20kHz).
- Humans have a fixed range for which comfortably hear a sound if we are exposed to loud sound above our hearing range for quite some time it can permanently damage our hearing capacity.
- Noise pollution is the pollution created by loud noises which adversely affect the surroundings.
EFFECTS OF NOISE POLLUTION:
Noise pollution has various effects and some of them are:
- Hearing Problems: Loud noise can cause great harm to our ears i.e. reduces the hearing capability of our ears.
- Physical Issues: Noise Pollution can cause headaches, high blood pressure, and heart attacks.
- Psychological Issues: It can cause hypertension, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and stress in humans as well as animals.
- Sleeping Disorders: Excessive noise disturbs our sleeping patterns which may lead to extreme health issues.
- Loss of Concentration: Noise distracts the person’s mind and a person finds it difficult to concentrate or focus on work or study.
- Effect on Wildlife: Wild animals also get disturbed heavily by the noises which humans make, they fear out, faint and in some cases die.
SYLLABUS: PRELIMS, CURRENT AFFAIRS
