New York has come up with a new way to catch drivers whose cars are louder than is legally allowed. The city’s Department of Environmental Protection has set up meters that check the sound of a car when it passes by.
The system was brought to many people’s attention following a photo posted to the Lowered Congress Facebook group on February 13. The DEP confirmed to Road & Track, though, that the project has been in operation since September 2021.
The photo of the summons posted to Facebook suggests that the system works much like a speed camera. It has a sound level meter as well as a camera that takes pictures of cars whose exhaust is loud enough to trip a sensor and sends the owner a letter in the mail.
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“I am writing to you because your vehicle has been identified as having a muffler that is not in compliance with Section 386 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law, which prohibits excessive noise from motor vehicles,” the order indicates. It goes on to say that the owner must bring their car to a location for inspection. If they comply, they’re given the opportunity to bring their vehicle into compliance with city and state law.
“You failed to appear or respond to the first notice and have been issued a summons,” the letter indicates. “If you do not appear, you may be subject to the issuance of a summons which carries a maximum penalty of $875. Failure to appear a second time will result in further penalty.”
The program is separate from Governor Hochul’s “SLEEP” bill, which raised fines for noise violations in the state from $150 to $1,000, the highest in the U.S. This program will be re-evaluated on June 30, the DEP said, to decide if it should be expanded or taken out of commission.
