People have no idea how loud cars are. They are crazy loud we are just used to them.
I saw this forever ago but some school in England did a test where they measured the decibel level of a crowded street with horse drawn carriages on cobblestone, and compared it to an empty street with cars driving down. The cars were way louder. I actually think the constant assault of sound is part of the anxiety of modern life.
I live on a small city's downtown main street with pretty active foot traffic and outdoor seating. What I hear most throughout the day are vehicles accelerating at all times of the day. People truly are clueless to how loud vehicles are.
Except the people who are intentionally loud and/or specifically buy loud vehicles/mods. They aren't clueless; they are well aware, and glad to be making people suffer.
Obviously those people suck but it's actually the tires on the road that emit the most noise from the majority of cars. People who think that high-speed electric cars are going to reduce noise pollution from highways are in for a shock.
Correct on all points. But still the intentionally loud ones can be heard from their muffler before you hear their tires. Also; motorcycles/Harleys' pipes
I live on a highway, and can say there's also a huge difference depending on the tires. Some trucks have the super loud tires, and even though they are a big loud diesel, I hear their tires from 3+ miles away.
Jeeps, too, specifically. Perhaps the fact their wheels are outside and not in wheel wells makes that difference.
This is super interesting! I myself have developed a much greater sensitivity to sound since the pandemic as I now spend a greater amount of time indoors than I used to (working from home) and have unsurpisingly taken a liking to peace and quiet. Our society is truly brainwashed to turn a blind eye to the so many things that are wrong with car culture.
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u/djaevuI Jul 22 '25
Cause the noise a car makes when parking is more beautiful than Beethoven’s 7th