Motorists call for ‘noise cameras’ to catch loud cars
Fri, 25 Aug 2023
Nearly 6 in 10 drivers are calling for the roll-out of new cameras that can automatically detect excessively loud vehicles.
The so-called ‘noise cameras’ have already been trialled by the Department for Transport, with data currently being analysed ahead of future measures being announced.
Drivers are already clear, though – they want them introduced so they can catch vehicles with illegally loud exhausts, or motorists revving their engines unnecessarily.
Just 1 in 5 were against the idea, according to research by the RAC.
“There is a very strong desire to put to an end the scourge of excessively noisy vehicles that disturb the peace,” said the organisation’s head of roads policy Simon Williams.
“It’s plain wrong that those who have fitted their cars with modified exhausts, some motorbike riders and supercars can currently just get away with making an unacceptable amount of noise.
“Fortunately, the DfT’s recent noise camera trials may provide the solution.
“We hope the findings are positive and that the technology can be quickly and cost-efficiently rolled out to the worst-affected areas.”
Nosie cameras, also known as acoustic cameras, use a number of microphones to pinpoint vehicles exceeding the 74-decibel limit as they pass by.
Images of the vehicle are captured, along with recordings of the vehicle noise, which are used by local police to identify and fine motorists.
Those who are caught face a £50 on-the-spot fine.
While 4 in 10 of those surveyed feel this is the right amount, although 37% disagreed – and of those, almost half thought it should carry a £200 fine and a driving ban until the exhaust was made legal.
Among Londoners, this proportion rose further, to more than two in three.
The London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea was the UK’s first local authority to trial acoustic cameras, in May 2022.
They have since been trialled in various other parts of the country over the past year, including Bradford, Great Yarmouth, Birmingham and South Gloucestershire.
Road noise, says the RAC, is known to contribute to health problems, yet there is no requirement for MOT testers to use decibel meters to check exhaust noise levels.
The annual social cost of urban road noise, through factors such as reduced productivity from sleep disturbance, is estimated at up to £10bn.
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