Obnoxiously loud cars and motorcycles with modified mufflers may soon be a thing of the past in the Hudson Valley.

New legislation has been proposed that would put noise restrictions on vehicles and force police cars to be equipped with decibel sensing meters. The bill, sponsored by New York state senator Andrew Gounardes, is aimed at thwarting local motorists who trick out their cars to be louder than legally allowed.

The law would increase fines for cars emitting noise pollution from $150 to $1,000. Gounardes says that car enthusiasts pay big bucks for after-market modifications to their mufflers, so a fine of just $150 isn't much of a deterrent.

Currently, it's difficult for police to even enforce the law because they must decide themselves if the noise is "excessive or unusual." The new legislation sets the noise limit at 95 decibels for motorcycles and 60 decibels for other vehicles. According to the University of Florida, leaf blowers are commonly 99 decibels and a blender is about 92, so motorcycles would need to fall between those limits. Cars would need to be quieter than a vacuum cleaner, which is 87 decibels on average.

In order to make sure vehicles are following the law, this new legislation requires police cars to be equipped with decibel-reading devices. Proponents of the bill say this will make it much easier for police to identify lawbreakers and pull illegal vehicles off the road.

The proposed law is currently in committee. If passed, the legislation would immediately go into effect.

We want to know what you think. Should loud cars and motorcycles be banned from Hudson Valley roads? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.

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