Enforce vehicle noise laws to improve communities

Here we go again. Oh, poor Hernando County. Complaining that there aren't enough funds to run all the county programs.

Could it be that those elected officials are spending more of their time and energy on getting re-elected than actually helping their community? Perish the thought.

Maybe all the other counties and cities in this country, except, of course, the City of Portland, Ore., have the same financial problems? That's because Portland's politicians got it right and decided to do something about their financial woes.

How did they do it? They simply "ordered" their highway, sheriffs and local police and law enforcement people to start reading and enforcing the states, counties and cities' motor vehicle noise regulations.

Aren't we all sick and tired of these vehicles that have noise levels that sound like a freight train or thunder? How about that little Honda that (if it has a muffler) makes noise equal to a Cape Kennedy rocket taking off?

There are laws about noise in hospital noise-free zones and residential areas from blasting boom boxes, motorcycles, etc. Most of these scofflaw violators have exchanged the factory mufflers for illegal ones.

The police can obtain Db meters that tell them which vehicle is in violation and they can issue citations with fines attached. Motorcycles must have matching numbers on their manifolds to tail pipes.

Portland, for example, has some violations that exceed $5,000 and this escalates upon repeated offences.

For your information, go to noise control act of 1972/Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Motor vehicle noise regulations U.S. government: Noise chapter 10.58, etc.

So get with it, people. Make it so people can report license plates of vehicle offenders, and we all can start to live with less noise.

Gary Swerdlow

Bradenton

This story was originally published May 14, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Enforce vehicle noise laws to improve communities ."