Over 700 Told To Pipedown

[Charles89]

Police have already issued over 700 EPA notices to drivers of excessively loud motor vehicles across Melbourne in the first three days of Operation Pipedown.

As part of the two week special operation, police have been working with Environment Protection Authority (EPA) officers and Law Enforcement Officers from Melbourne City Council in identifying cars, motorcycles and other illegally modified vehicles producing excessively loud exhaust noise.

The operation also focuses on wider road safety, including unroadworthy vehicles, drink-driving, and use of mobile phones while driving.

As part of Pipedown, owners of excessively loud and illegally modified motor vehicles will be issued with an EPA notice requiring the vehicle to be presented to an approved tester and obtain a certificate of compliance

The certificate must be presented to the EPA within 28 days.

If the notice of compliance is not provided within the timeframe, further legal action including suspension of the vehicle's registration may be taken. Anyone who drives an unregistered car faces a $584 fine.

Melbourne East Police, Inspector Bernie Jackson said the operation will run until Saturday, 1 May at locations right across Melbourne.

“Operation Pipedown is in response to the significant number of complaints we have received from the community regarding excessively loud vehicles,” Insp Jackson said.

“We are asking people with overly loud cars and motorcycles to respect their community and tone it down.

“This is an opportunity for people to have a listen and think about the level of noise from their vehicle, and consider the impact on people’s health and the local amenity.”

Insp Jackson said the operation is also another way for police to tackle hoon drivers.

“Noisy hoon drivers could ultimately face having their vehicle's registration suspended, another incentive for hoons to tone it down and drive responsibly,” he said.

“If the prospect of having their vehicle impounded doesn’t phase some hoons, then perhaps facing loss of registration will.”

The 2008-09 ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Crime Victimisation report details that dangerous or noisy driving is the top concern of people ranking problems in their community. Some 45 per cent of people reported concerns with the problem of dangerous or noisy driving in their community, compared with damage to property (35 per cent) and burglaries or theft from homes (29 per cent).

Operation Pipedown is being supported by the Environment Protection Authority, Melbourne City Council, Victorian Deaf Society and Harley Davidson. During this campaign, Melbourne University and VicDef audiology experts will be highlighting the health risks associated with excessive noise.

This operation forms part of a Victoria Police road policing strategy, which aims to reduce road trauma by 20 per cent by 2013. Throughout the operation police will focus on educating drivers and the community about the dangers of driving unsafe and unroadworthy cars. This effort will be crucial in reducing the number of serious injury collisions on our roads.

Police have also issued a number of infringement notices for offences such as mobile phone use, unlicensed driving and disobeying traffic signs.

Anna Erbrederis

Victoria Police Media Unit

VP 882/2010

[Charles89]

Is it me or does everyone else notice that there are way more cops on the road than before?

Before this operation, I see maybe one or two cop cars in a week and in the last three days, I've seen/followed by at least 8-10 cop cars :S

[R31Nismoid]

Well it's a big revenue raiser don't forget as they will also be handing out defect notices

So you can bet every resource possible they will have out and about policing this "aweful" crime against society.

I wonder if they are actually testing cars or doing their usual trick i "spotting" a cannon muffler and just reporting you without any facts (as per usual)...

Perhaps Graeme can offer some useful insight

Thank god my car is off the road, even with a borderline legal exhaust i still somehow manage to score EPA's whenever a blitz is on whilst a Honda with some V-Tech y0! drives past with a 5" milo tin and 100dB

[33gtst]

grabs keys to N/a silvia.. Was going to take out skyline....but I dont want to be a statistic...

[StealthX]

people to have a listen and think about the level of noise from their vehicle, and consider the impact on people’s health

Is this dickhead on drugs?

Since when does a car's exhaust impact on someone's health? Notice how he specifically mentions the noise?!?!

i.e. nothing about emissions lol wanker.

Operation Pipedown is in response to the significant number of complaints we have received from the community regarding excessively loud vehicles

Textbook case of Police just trying to appease the media, and doing VERY little towards making our road safer.

Last time I checked, loud exhausts didn't make our roads dangerous, its faggots who drive up people's asses, run red lights, drink drive, dont use indicators, mums too focused on their kids etc... who cause our roads to be dangerous.

I've said it sooo many times, for years... But road safety starts with better (not HARDER) but BETTER driver training/education. High speed exercises, skidpans, defensive driver techniques...

[bluejeans]

most pathetic operation yet.

do some good - arrest some criminals, stop CBD bashings instead?

im sick of paying taxes and having the vic pol waste this money.

defecting people for low water in washer or too many clicks of a handbrake.

revenue raising is priority as i see it, and thats wrong.

In the herald sun the other day - the biggest noise complaints are from 'buskers' in the CBD.

'Noisy hoon' cars wasnt even on that list..

[Birds]

Last time I checked, loud exhausts didn't make our roads dangerous, its faggots who drive up people's asses, run red lights, drink drive, dont use indicators, mums too focused on their kids etc... who cause our roads to be dangerous.

Yer them gay guys love getting up peoples asses lol.

[NickR33]

there is an argument to be made that having a noisy car/bike will actually lower your chance of getting in an accident... even someone hasn't seen me coming before they pull out the sure as shit will hear me!

I love that Harley Davidson are supporting this... ah yep, Harley's are whisper quiet...................... wtf

[JEPPE]

Firstly: Environment Protection Authority? Environment... worry about global weather changes instead of a noise that is past you in a few seconds

Second: Pick me, pick me!!!! I have a road worthy car and I will shove it in your legal police person FACE!!!

Thirdly: Anyone else think that approved testers will be enjoying the bribes coming out of this?

“This is an opportunity for people to have a listen and think about the level of noise from their vehicle, and consider the impact on people’s health and the local amenity.”

LOL, as if we don't know what sound the car makes, we have an opportunity to think about it every time we drive the thing! What a load. If theyre concerned about peoples health they should ban ciggarettes, but noooooo that brings in too much money to the government, better keep that going! rararararar.

[dezz]

I feel safer already

Vicpol can operation PipeMeOff

[StealthX]

If theyre concerned about peoples health they should ban ciggarettes, but noooooo that brings in too much money to the government, better keep that going!

'ken oath!

Edited April 23, 2010 by turbo x-trail

[Birds]

Really shows where the priorities are doesn't it. You know what else is detrimental to peoples health? Taking money that could be used on hospitals and putting it towards ridiculous schemes like this. I don't even have a loud exhaust and I could care less how loud other peoples are. f**k, more birds wake me up than loud exhausts. Get out the air rifles next?

[bluejeans]

booze busses too noisy imo.

EPA them!

[PIOTREK]

LOL i love the fact that ppl with loud exhaust = Hoons lol at first i was reading this and trying to work out if its a prank

here goes another long weekend where the car sits in the drive way lol now i gotta suck up to everyone else to borrow their cars

[Wheezy]

operation pipe layer

[Thelen]

Really shows where the priorities are doesn't it. You know what else is detrimental to peoples health? Taking money that could be used on hospitals and putting it towards ridiculous schemes like this. I don't even have a loud exhaust and I could care less how loud other peoples are. f**k, more birds wake me up than loud exhausts. Get out the air rifles next?

Hahaha yea, I get woken by f**king crows every morning, and parents always complain about cockatoos being noisy whenever I'm around there at 5:30pm or so, though they do live next to nature reserve place, so...

It is totally ridicules indeed, I'm seriously considering moving away from a cannon if it will cause such a problem. Not to say it isn't legal, but all the testing etc will be more expensive than a high flow low noise dual pipe muffler system.

[Omurru]

*Gets pulled over for loud exhaust*......"I'm sorry sir, can you repeat that? I'm a jet engine mechanic so I'm a little hard of hearing"

[lukebaldan]

Had a bit of a chuckle reading the article in the paper this morning:

"Sponsored by the deaf society of australia"

Ahhhhh The irony.

Got an image of a deaf person in my head saying "tooooo loud"

No offence if you are deaf

[FrangaR33]

The 2008-09 ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Crime Victimisation report details that dangerous or noisy driving is the top concern of people ranking problems in their community. Some 45 per cent of people reported concerns with the problem of dangerous or noisy driving in their community, compared with damage to property (35 per cent) and burglaries or theft from homes (29 per cent).

I'm all for quieter exhausts on cars but these statistics are just a joke, personally I would be more worried about the coppers catching burgulars and rapists than people having noisy cars. I also love the way they included dangerous driving in with the noisy cars making these statistics even more of a joke, everyone knows at least one person who drives like an idiot.

[JEPPE]

Hrmmmm this has me thinking... In motorcycle exhausts we have baffles that can be removed, when installed they deaden the sound a few dB. Do car exhausts have anything a like to this? Could be an idea when situations like this come along. Wouldn't be hard either.