How to Dampen Road Noise

Block road noises to avoid headaches and stress.

Road noise can become a major annoyance for those who frequently drive in busy---and loud---cities or those who live on busy streets. Car horns, the zooming of trucks and cars on the highway, and road construction noise can all turn a commute or a morning at home into a headache. Fortunately, there are several easy and fairly inexpensive ways to dampen road noise, whether from your car or your home.

Things You'll Need

• White noise CDs/machine
• Weather stripping
• Insulating material (for home or auto)

Instructions

1. Insulate. In a car, tar mats placed on the floor and in the metal panels can reduce road noise. In a home, the same insulating strips you place under doors and in windows to keep heat in during the winter can keep noise out all year long.

2. Check your weather stripping. In cars, old weather stripping that no longer creates a good seal on your windows can create unnecessary wind noise. Replace the weather stripping to eliminate this problem. Similarly, aged and cracking or peeling weather stripping or caulking around your home's windows can let in noise that would otherwise be muted.

3. Use white noise to dampen other, annoying sounds. If driving in your car, put a white noise CD in your CD player. Alternately, you can buy CDs of sounds such as rain falling or waves crashing against the shore, which create the same effect. The same strategy will work in your home. You can also purchase a sound machine to drown out rush hour traffic with relaxing sounds.

References

• You Tube: Dampen Car Vibrations and Road Noise
• University of Texas at Austin's Center for Transportation Research: Looking for a Quiet Ride?
• TrafficNoise.org