Q: My question concerns noisy motorcycles. It is a great irritation to me when I hear loud motorcycles on the streets or the highway. I believe that most cities have noise ordinances. Why aren’t they enforced for motorcycles? Any light you could shed on this question would be appreciated.
A: There’s that scene in Back to the Future when Marty McFly and his band compete at a battle of the bands. Twenty seconds into the song one of the judges picks up his megaphone and cuts them off, saying, “I’m afraid you’re just too darn loud.” If only it were that easy to put an end to excessively loud vehicles.
In an effort to be thorough in my research I downloaded an app that measures sound volume. And then I immediately used it to see how loud the seagull on my neighbor’s roof was squawking. The ambient daytime noise level in my neighborhood hovers around 40 decibels. When that bird would squawk the needle jumped up to 50 decibels. As a refresher from high school science class, the decibel scale is not linear. Moving from 40 to 50 decibels isn’t a 25 percent increase; ten points on the decibel meter equates to a ten-fold increase in sound pressure.
To put that seagull in perspective, here are some common sounds and their respective decibel levels:
- 10 – a watch ticking
- 20 – rustling leaves
- 30 – a whisper
- 40 – light rain
- 50 – my neighbor’s seagull
- 60 – air conditioner
- 70 – noisy restaurant
- 80 – vacuum cleaner
- 90 – lawn mower
- 100 – motorcycle
- 110 – rock concert
- 120 – jet airplane taking off
As I assembled that list I noticed a problem; the researchers identified the decibel level of a motorcycle as 100 db, but the law limits the volume of a motorcycle to 80 db from 50 feet away. Either the researchers were measuring closer to the motorcycles or something’s up with motorcycle noise. As you probably suspected, some motorcycle owners modify their exhaust to make it louder.
You might have heard the phrase, “Loud pipes save lives.” I’ve heard it said and I’ve seen it on stickers plastered to motorcycle helmets but that doesn’t make it true. There’s enough science around the nature of sound to conclude that it’s actually the opposite. Extended exposure to loud noise can reduce your ability to hear danger signals like sirens or horns, and may actually decrease your driving ability. The Hurt Report (an older, but still respected study) found that motorcycles with loud pipes were over-represented in fatal crashes. Motorcyclists aren’t dying at a rate 27 times greater than car drivers because their bikes aren’t loud enough. It takes skill and focus to ride successfully, and believing your loud pipes can protect you is a misplaced trust.
The more honest reason for loud pipes: some motorcyclists like them. Like my neighbor. When he got his new bike, his first project was a muffler swap. Then, when his bike was louder than even he expected, he apologized to the neighborhood and did another muffler swap.
It’s not just motorcycles; plenty of car owners make their exhaust louder too. I’ll point out that despite the abundant availability of aftermarket parts for motorcycles and cars, modifying an exhaust is illegal if the end result is louder than how it came from the factory. Two laws address this; one for vehicles in general (which also requires every motor vehicle to be equipped with a muffler in good working order), and one specific to motorcycles. There are plenty of auto parts manufacturers that will gladly sell you equipment that will make your motorcycle or car in violation of the law. But that’s a whole other topic.
Depending on the city, a local noise ordinance may or may not be the best tool for enforcing noise violations from loud vehicles. Noise ordinances are often written to cover a broad assortment of noise issues based on how obnoxious they are to the community. It’s a somewhat subjective approach and some ordinances can be difficult to apply to loud vehicles.
At the state level, the Washington Administrative Code has a section specifically addressing loud vehicles. It places hard decibel limits on exhaust volumes. This might seem an easy route for enforcement, but before officers can issue a ticket for a noise violation under the WAC, they have to complete training on sound measurement and the department has to buy noise measuring devices.
I’ve listed three potential strategies for enforcement of loud vehicles, but I don’t think I’ve addressed your primary question: Why aren’t the laws enforced? I can’t speak for the enforcement priorities of any specific law enforcement agency, but in many communities loud motorcycles are getting attention (and not the good kind) from city leaders, prompted by citizens who want a quieter life.