Government invests £300k in exhaust noise detection tech

The Government is once again trialling noise detection technology to crack down on loud, illegally modified exhausts.

A new £300,000 investment has been announced by the Department for Transport (DfT) for four areas across England and Wales to test out the latest noise detection technology. MPs are being invited to apply for the tech to be tried out in their constituencies as part of the trial.

The devices being tested can automatically tell when a vehicle is breaking legal noise limits, which could potentially enable police and local authorities to take action. Although police are already able to issue fixed penalty notices for this, gathering evidence can be difficult.

Trials of the noise detection systems were previously announced in 2019 and this latest move is part of a three-year programme, the DfT says, to “perfect the technology”. Research has suggested noise pollution can have a significant impact on both mental and physical health, and has been linked to conditions such as heart attacks, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and stress.

Grant Shapps, secretary of state for transport, said: “We want those in Britain’s noisiest streets, who are kept up at night by unbearable revving engines and noisy exhausts, to come forward with the help of volunteer areas to test and perfect the latest innovative technology.

“For too long, rowdy drivers have been able to get away with disturbing our communities with illegal noisy vehicles. It’s time we clamp down on this nuisance, banish the boy racer, and restore peace and quiet to local streets.”

What are your thoughts on this exhaust noise crackdown? Let us know in the comments…