Drivers could face $250 fine if their car makes more noise than a blender after complaints about ‘monster truck rally’ engines

A NEW law will ban car exhaust volume levels after neighbors say it turned their streets into a racetrack.

However, some stock exhaust systems may still be too loud for the city’s new decibel limits.

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And the worst part is that there is no need for a police officer to be around to listen for drivers to be cited.

Connecticut homeowner Laurie Julian once loved her quiet, “peaceful” neighborhood — but in recent years, cars have become loud enough to bother her, she told the newspaper. Hartford Courant.

She compared cars to aftermarket exhaust systems that amplify engine noises, especially at high rpm, that have turned her neighborhood streets into a “freeway” or a “monster truck show.”

Hearing their plea, the state passed a new law that would allow cities to install “sound chambers” equipped with sound decibel monitors.

If a driver is recorded with exhaust over 80 decibels, which is the same volume as a blender or hair dryer, a written warning will be sent to the vehicle’s registered address.

For the second violation, indicating that the sound issue has not been corrected, the ticket will increase to $100.

The fine for a third offense will increase to $250 for subsequent violations.

Neighbors like Julian are excited to have their sound managed by cameras.

Mainly because the noise persists throughout the night and early hours of the morning.

“It could start as early as 5:30 in the morning with suburban traffic,” she said.

“Our street has never had these problems. You can’t sleep well because you wake up in the morning. It gives you a feeling of stress and you never know when you’ll start hearing that sound again.”

Some residents said the “pop” from aftermarket exhaust systems can mimic gunshots, which strikes fear into homeowners.

“Over the past year, it appears to have become a popular fad where individuals illegally modify mufflers and exhaust systems to ensure their cars make as much noise as possible,” said Betsy Gara, executive director of the Connecticut State Council. Small cities.

“We are starting to hear from more residents of our cities who are fed up with these cars screaming into their neighborhoods at any time of the day or night.”

Critics of the new law say there may be too many variables to the sensitive technology, and some drivers may be wrongly violated.

“They basically have to use their judgment to determine which vehicle was the offender, and that can often lead to subjectivity about who gets a ticket in the mail,” said Christian Robinson, senior director of state government affairs at the Specialty Equipment Market Association. (SEMA).

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“If (a camera system) is placed in an urban environment, you will have buildings with reflective surfaces that can amplify the amount of noise emitted.”

Because the bill aims to target drivers with aftermarket exhaust systems that make cars louder, it does not take into account that some vehicles have a standard exhaust system that exceeds those factory limits.

As it is the factory system, there is not much the driver can do other than not drive the vehicle.

Vehicles like the Lexus LC 500 have a standard exhaust volume of 88 dB – the same as a Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 R with 92 dB, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS with 108 dB, and a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 with a volume of 99 dB.

Robinson also noted that older vehicles, such as those from the 1970s through the 1990s, may also trigger sound cameras without many options for the driver.

“It is possible that unmodified vehicles could be involved in this,” he said.

“The caveat is that a fair and objective way of determining whether this threshold has been breached is needed. In our opinion, this is just an unfair way of enforcing the law.”