The influence of location of the privileged vehicle siren on the vehicle traffic safety

Audible emergency signals generated by sirens of privileged vehicles should be audible and recognisable by all participants of the traffic. Currently in Poland, A-weighted sound pressure levels of audible emergency signals generated by sirens of privileged vehicles range between 104 and 108 dB. In turn, the A-weighted sound pressure levels measured inside the privileged vehicles may exceed the value of 90dB. Such high sound pressure levels may adversely affect the working conditions of the privileged vehicle crew. A commonly applied solution, aimed at limiting the exposure of the privileged vehicle crew to noise, is fitting the siren in the engine compartment rather than in the vehicle roof lightbar. Changing the location of the siren can reduce the measured sound pressure levels inside the vehicles by about 10 dB. Changing the location of the siren has also a significant impact on the audibility of the emergency signal by the other participants of the road, and thus affects the vehicle traffic safety. It is necessary to initiate a discussion on improving the acoustic comfort of the vehicle crew, and at the same time maintain the informational function of the