Traffic, major transport infrastructures, leisure activities, shopping areas and industrial activities are the main causes of noise which can disturb people and, in many cases, affect their health and quality of life. Yet each of us, at home and when we are out and about, can also generate sounds and noises which might not seem to cause inconvenience, but which can disturb local residents.

How to do your bit?

At home or at work:

• Soundproof the part of your home where you engage in activities which make a noise (sewing machines, musical instruments etc.).
• Distribute the spaces in your home so that rest areas are isolated from areas where there is noise.
• Keep noise from works to a minimum, and outside people’s hours of rest.
• Install the noisiest apparatus properly (for instance air-conditioning) to reduce the impact of noise and keep them well-maintained to avoid them becoming too noisy.
• Avoid slamming doors or other objects from hitting walls or the floor.
• Train pets so that their noise does not disturb neighbours.
• Be considerate when organising private parties of activities with numbers of people so that this does not affect people’s hours of rest.
• Use radios, televisions and music systems at volumes which do not disturb your neighbours.
• Be considerate when using certain domestic appliances at night, during people’s hours of rest.

Out and about:

• Drive calmly and avoid accelerating unnecessarily.
• Only use vehicle horns when completely justified.
• Keep vehicles well-maintained and control noise levels.
• If you are a motorbike rider, check the exhaust pipe and avoid accelerating unnecessarily.
• Always use authorised mechanical parts which comply with current traffic regulations.