Police in St. Petersburg Crack Down on Noisy Cars

Police in St. Petersburg have begun pressing administrative charges against drivers whose vehicles are excessively loud.

Local law enforcement officials said Monday that they will give motorists 10 days to “return the technical condition of their vehicle to factory settings,” otherwise the vehicle’s registration will be canceled and the owner may risk losing their driving privileges.

Police said they already stopped 15 motorists over the weekend, with officers warning them that they were disturbing the peace and threatening road safety.

Owners of vehicles with modified engines and exhausts can now face two administrative charges of exceeding noise standards and making illegal structural changes to their vehicles.

Police in St. Petersburg said they would use a “specially certified” sound level meter to crack down on noisy vehicles.

According to the state-run Interfax news agency, St. Petersburg is the first city in Russia to introduce legal punishments for owners of excessively loud vehicles.

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