Cars altered to be louder would lead to fines under new state House bill

State Rep. Natalie Price (D-Berkley) introduced a bill last month that would penalize drivers for altering vehicles to make them louder. 

Under the proposed legislation, violators would pay a $500 fine for the first offense and $1,000 for subsequent offenses. Fines may be waived if money is being put towards the vehicle to fit the codes of compliance.   

Price says she hopes passing this bill will increase quality of life for the community. 

“The excessive noise on Woodward is a top issue and it’s causing real harm to folks in our communities,” she said. “So I come from Berkley City Council, I live in Berkley, I also represent Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Royal Oak, Beverly Hills and my constituents in those areas notice this as a real, not only inconvenience, but a real harm to them and their families.”

Community members exposed to the extensive noise from the streets are affected in the long run, Price says. Vulnerable members such as elderly and veterans are especially being harmed when disrupted by modified cars. 

“There are real health consequences to excessive and sudden noises. We know that folks, especially some of our most vulnerable community members, we have folks who need sleep to heal, folks on hospice, folks recovering. We have veterans with PTSD who have reached out to my office. Some of these modifications intentionally sound like gunshots going down the street and these kinds of abrupt and loud and excessive noises are really harming people’s health.”

Along with health concerns, there are issues with property value when faced with constant disruptive noise in the community, Price says. 

“We know that excessively noisy roads are a huge factor in property values,” Price says. “This issue has gotten significantly worse just in the last five years and people are concerned about the value of their homes right along Woodward as well.”

Use the video player below to hear the full interview with Price on “The Metro.”