PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Cars: Exhaust Systems (7 July 2021)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a rollout of acoustic cameras to tackle the nuisance of car exhaust noise amplifiers on residential and A roads.

Asked by:
Feryal Clark (Labour)

The Department is aware of nuisance caused by excessively noisy car exhausts. New vehicles are required to meet strict noise limits before being first placed on the market and once on the road, exhausts and silencers are not permitted to be altered to increase noise such as the fitment of noise amplifiers.

The police have powers to take action under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 (as amended) if they believe excessive vehicle noise could have been avoided through reasonable driver care. Local authorities can issue a Community Protection Notice if an individual’s behaviour is having a negative impact on the community. In both cases, failure to comply can result in a fine or a fixed penalty notice.

The Department is currently considering the outcome of a preliminary trial of a prototype acoustic camera. Due to the early stages of testing and prototype nature of the technology it is too early to assess the potential impact of widespread deployment, but we are optimistic that it will provide an effective enforcement tool in the future.

Answered by:
Rachel Maclean (Conservative)
14 July 2021