Pop quiz - when someone says the term "exhaust system", what are the first words that pop into your head? If they happen to be anything like "Flowmaster 40 Series" or "Dynomax Bullet" (the straight-through muffler that makes Cherry Bombs sound civilized in comparison), you may not like the new ticketing system developed by Acoustic Research Laboratories. Using an onboard sound meter, the device detect snoise events that exceed a predetermined sound pressure level. A 10-second audio/video recording is made of the incident, and an onboard hard drive stores the data for future retrieval and prosecution. As the system records other noise events as well, don't go boomin' your twin fifteens past one of their systems and expect to get away with it.

Since certain individuals here at Autoblog have received several "amplified sound" tickets in their younger days and have occasionally taken to the street with open pipes (hey, no one really knows how easy it is to remove the baffles from a Yoshi system until they try), we'll defer commentary on this device to those who can be a bit more objective. With the number of import cars, diesel pickups, and motorcycles on the road sporting sewer-sized exhausts seemingly increasing every day, it would come as no surprise to find a lot of support for such a system -- at least outside of enthusiasts' circles.

Related: Minneapolis judge orders 'lights out' for traffic signal cameras

(Hat tip - Engadget)

[Source: TheNewspaper.com]

Loud pipes beware - photo enforcement now targeting noise violators originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 19 Mar 2006 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.