Braking in the air pollution blind spot

The press is just beginning to mention it: vehicle braking and tire friction on the asphalt are the main source of air pollution in cities via fine particles, well ahead of engine exhaust emissions. In April 2022, Ademe estimated that more than half of the particles emitted by recent road vehicles no longer come from the exhaust*. This is an environmental problem that is ignored, according to a recent opinion poll by the OpinionWay Institute, conducted in five European Union countries. In all the countries surveyed, more than 80% of citizens rank transport and road traffic among the three main reasons for outdoor air pollution, alongside industrial activities, and pollution from homes. More than a third put transportation in first place. However, there is very little information about the origin of this pollution: less than half of Europeans surveyed (40%) know that exhaust emissions and particulate emissions from brakes and tires contribute to transport-related air pollution.