Noisy traffic can cause 10x more fatalities than pedestrian accidents: research
Noisy traffic can cause 10x more fatalities than pedestrian accidents: research
2025-07-16
Traffic noise in Taiwan is more than just annoying. Recent research suggests it can be detrimental to your health. The Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology estimates that traffic noise can lead to 4,203 sudden deaths a year, which is over 10 times the number of fatal pedestrian accidents in 2024. Doctors say the noise can also cause infertility and dementia.
During rush hour, moving vehicles emit constant noises of varying degrees of loudness. Pedestrians who are passing by are subjected to all kinds of traffic sounds.
Member of the public
Tuned cars are quite loud and trucks are really loud.
Member of the public
There are quite a lot of those tuned cars. It also happens during temple gatherings.
The Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology cited research findings that traffic noises are more lethal than pedestrian accidents. In 2024, the number of pedestrian deaths was 366. It is estimated that sudden deaths caused by traffic noise can reach 4,203 people a year, more than 10 times the number of fatal pedestrian accidents.
Yeh Kuang-perng
Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology
This article was published in a very good medical journal, an excellent weekly. Aside from many menstrual problems, dementia, suicide and worries, poor sleep can also lead to an early death. The estimate is over 4,000 people. According to the World Health Organization, the figure may be higher. I think it is an underestimate.
According to European noise research applied to Taiwanese data, traffic noises have caused more than 4,000 premature deaths a year. They may have also caused 2,500 people to suffer from cardiovascular disease and 1,122 people to suffer from diabetes. Some studies have found that traffic noises can cause infertility.
Chen Mei-jou
National Taiwan University Hospital
Young patients may have irregular periods and ovulation, which may lead to infertility. Furthermore, if we take this a step further, we talk about the gut-brain axis, she may have gastrointestinal diseases, it’s really easy for all kinds of diseases and even some emotional disorders to eventuate.
Yeh Kuang-perng
Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology
The European Union first started to control traffic noises more than 20 years ago, in the 2000s, and mapped them. Up to now, we’ve done nothing. We can understand the noise map of Paris, but we don’t have a noise map of Taipei.
Doctors are calling on the governments of Taiwan’s six biggest cities to prioritize the roll out of real-time noise maps and remind people to take precautions. They should also add traffic noise monitoring stations so as to crack down on excessive noises and overall prevent traffic noises from killing people.
For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53
#noise #noisepollution #pollution #citylife
台灣交通噪音殺人? 醫師團體控死亡數遠甚行人地獄
2025-07-16
台灣交通噪音惱人，婦產科醫學會推估交通噪音一年導致猝死共4203人，超出行人地獄死亡人數10倍之多，同時也可能導致民眾不孕、失智，呼籲政府廣設噪音監測站，落實取締照顧全民健康。
尖峰時間，車輛行駛帶來大小噪音不斷，行人通過，耳朵承受著各種交通噪音。
[[民眾]]
“改裝車比較大聲，貨車聲音滿大的。”
[[民眾]]
“比較多那種改裝車啦，還有就是廟會的時候。”
婦產科醫學會引用研究發現，交通噪音殺人威力更遠甚於行人地獄，2024年行人死亡數366人，但推估交通噪音猝死一年來到4203人，超過10倍以上，威脅國人健康。
[[婦產科醫學會環境婦女健康委員會召集人 葉光芃]]
“這篇刊在很好的醫學期刊，非常好的周刊。有很多經期(問題)、失智，還有自殺、煩惱以外，睡不好 也會早死，(估)4千多人，照世界衛生組織可能不只，我想是低估。”
根據歐洲研究噪音研究再回推台灣，交通噪音除了導致四千多人早逝，更恐怕造成2500人心血管疾病，還有1122人糖尿病，更有研究發現交通噪音將導致不孕。
[[台大醫院生殖醫學科主任 陳美州]]
“年輕的病人她可能就月經就會異常、排卵就會異常，她就會不孕，然後更進一步的話我們說大腦腸軸，她會有很多腸胃道疾病，各式各樣的疾病，甚至一些情緒性的障礙都很容易發生。”
[[婦產科醫學會環境婦女健康委員會召集人 葉光芃]]
“歐盟最先二十幾年前，兩千零幾年開始管控(交通噪音)，設置地圖，我們到現在什麼都沒有，我們可以理解巴黎的噪音地圖，但不理解台北市的噪音地圖。”
醫師呼籲六都優先布建即時噪音地圖提醒國人防範，也要增設交通噪音監測點加強取締，全面防制交通噪音殺人。
更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00
Related News
