Officials in the United Kingdom have escalated a crackdown on illegal car exhaust modifications, issuing steep fines and setting a new legal precedent aimed at curbing excessively loud, polluting vehicles.
According to Car Magazine, the latest case centers on so-called "pop and bang" exhaust systems. These are engine-tuning modifications designed to create explosive cracking noises that have become a frequent source of complaints in residential neighborhoods.
The ruling follows enforcement action by the U.K.'s Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, which secured a conviction against a car tuning company for fitting an illegal exhaust and engine control unit remap.
The shop was fined about £5,800 ($7,790) after investigators found that the modified vehicle exceeded legal noise limits and failed basic roadworthiness standards.
Judges ruled that tuning companies now carry a "heavy burden" to ensure vehicles modified for off-road use are not driven on public streets. That means cars made illegal by exhaust or emissions changes must leave a shop on a trailer and cannot be driven home.
While the noises such engines make are annoying, that's not the only reason for this ruling. Excessive exhaust noise often goes hand in hand with increased air pollution, especially when catalytic converters or mufflers are removed.
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"Everyone knows that horrific sound, when exhausts go pop and bang in the street, and cracking down on companies that fit these modifications shows our commitment to ensuring that Britain's roads remain among the safest in the world," U.K. Roads Minister Guy Opperman said after the ruling.
Drivers themselves could also feel the impact. Authorities are testing roadside "noise cameras" that automatically flag vehicles exceeding legal sound limits. Police already have the power to issue on-the-spot fines, and officials say broader rollout is likely if trials prove effective.
Similar enforcement actions have taken place in the United States. In one high-profile case, COBB Tuning was hit with nearly $3 million in penalties by the Environmental Protection Agency for selling tens of thousands of illegal exhaust "defeat devices."
According to the Los Angeles Times, those devices disabled emissions controls and caused dangerous levels of smog-forming pollution.
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Taken together, these crackdowns signal growing momentum to protect communities from unnecessary noise and dirty air.
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