By The Keystone Newspaper Violations include modified exhaust and excessive noise
By Bethany McDonald
Kutztown police plan to increase enforcement against vehicles with modified exhaust systems that produce excessive noise, particularly those that backfire.
“We may be doing more active enforcement of those things at night,” Police Chief P. Michael Clery Jr. said.
The Pennsylvania Vehicle Code requires a working exhaust system, while Kutztown’s borough code includes a provision against unreasonable motor vehicle noise, which can result in a traffic citation.
“This is to curb people who are modifying their exhaust,” Clery said. “We’re not necessarily just going after any car, more so people who intentionally modify their exhaust systems to create loud noise.”
Photo Credit: Bethany McDonald
At the state level, lawmakers have proposed the “Stop Loud and Excessive Exhaust Pollution (SLEEP) Act,” which would ban the sale of aftermarket exhaust and muffler systems that make cars, motorcycles and ATVs louder than permitted by law. The measure has not yet been approved.
“It still hasn’t been approved yet, so that’s nothing we would be using currently,” Clery said. “We’re just using our current Pennsylvania Vehicle Code and borough ordinance violations.”
Clery said the enforcement aims to reduce disturbances for residents during both day and night. He added the policy extends beyond loud vehicles to other noise complaints, such as house parties.
“People could be disturbed any time of day,” he said. “The bottom line is that the exhaust is illegal, whether it’s 9 o’clock in the morning or at 10 o’clock at night.”