Triple A Tyres for Cost-effective Noise Reduction in Europe

Tyre-road noise is still a major and growing issue in Europe. A recent study performed in The Netherlands for the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment examined the benefits of widescale introduction of high quality labeled tyres, with ‘Triple A’ rating for rolling resistance, wet grip and noise. Two scenarios were investigated, one with the current mix of tyre types in use, the second in which all current tyres are replaced by high quality tyres. In this paper the socio-economic benefits due to traffic noise reduction are highlighted in terms of reduced numbers of highly annoyed and sleep disturbed people and the societal monetary benefits. The results of the study show that major benefits are achievable at negligibte costs. Besides noise reductions, substantial benefits are also obtained by fuel savings, C02 reduction and reduced numbers of road casualties, making this initiative a viable policy option for the near future. Required future steps are tighter limits for tyre noise and incentives for choosing tyres with the best label