Prague Police Target Illegal Exhaust Modifications with New Noise Meter

Illegal modifications to exhaust systems are set to be identified more quickly in Prague in future. For the first time, traffic police now have a mobile device available to measure vehicle noise.

Prague traffic police are using a mobile noise meter during checks for the first time. The new device is intended primarily to detect illegal modifications to the exhaust systems of cars and motorcycles. The certified mobile noise meter was purchased by the City of Prague and made available to the police. In future, it is to be used both during regular traffic checks and specifically at gatherings of sports and tuned vehicles.

According to the police, the device can be used to check whether the noise produced by a vehicle complies with the technical specifications set by the manufacturer. Particular attention is being paid to unauthorised modifications to exhaust systems that lead to increased noise levels.

Drivers of vehicles that are louder as standard would, by contrast, not face any penalties, provided the noise levels comply with the manufacturer’s technical specifications or an approved vehicle modification.

Video: Policie ČR

Around 20 officers from Prague traffic police have already been trained to use the new measuring device. Further training sessions are planned. The police are working with experts from Prague City Hall and the supplier of the certified device.

Prague Police Chief Petr Matějček referred in this context to the long-standing cooperation between the police and the city administration. In recent years, Prague has funded, among other things, special vehicles, motorcycles and defibrillators for the police. The mobile noise meter is another addition to the force’s technical equipment.

First Checks at Tuning Meet in Štěrboholy

One of the first practical checks took place in Štěrboholy in mid-September. There, traffic police officers, together with employees from Prague City Hall, inspected several dozen vehicles at a gathering of the tuning and sports car scene. In addition to the noise produced by the exhaust systems, the officers also checked the general technical condition of the vehicles. In nine cases, they identified so-called dangerous Category C defects. The vehicles concerned were subsequently not allowed to continue their journey.

According to the city, the measuring system used meets both the technical requirements of the Czech Ministry of Transport and the European ISO 5130 standard. The device has also been calibrated by an accredited laboratory.

Prague is already planning to purchase another special inspection device. A mobile rolling road is intended in future to help identify illegally operated electric bicycles and e-scooters. According to Prague’s Deputy Mayor for Transport, Jaromír Beránek, the device would initially be the only one of its kind used in traffic checks in the Czech Republic.