Managing Noise in NSW

Do youuse your truck horn on occasions other than warning other road users or animalsof your approach? Do you rev your vehicle while it is stationary and causeexcessive noise and/or smoke to be produced while driving? Did you know that ifyou do either of these the police can issue penalty infringementnotices.

Soundcaused by moving vehicles ranges from the exhaust system to the tyres on theroad. The state has used noise barriers tohelp reduce the level of noise caused on access controlled roads. In conjunctionwith this, there are laws and standards that vehicle owners must follow inorder to help reduce and manage noise emitted by theirvehicle.

Exhaust Noise
More noise doesnot equal more power in the instance of heavy vehicles on the road. It justadds more annoyance to the daily lives of those in the community. It can alsoresult in the case of a fine. In NSW, the vehicle noise standard is ADR 83/100. This is the maximum level of externalnoise that all light and heavy vehicles can produce.

Horn Noise
Horns are onlypermitted to be used in order to prevent an accident from occurring. Thepurpose of a horn is to alert another road user, or an animal, of your approach to avoid anaccident. Thereis also a noise level which your horn is not to exceed, or it will result in apenalty. For horns that are made up of a single, non-changing volume and pitch,the level is 120 decibels. For horns that are not made up of other noiseconditions, the level is 85 decibels. Have you checked what level your horn iscurrently producing?

Brake Noise
Engine andcompression brakes can cause extremely loud noises, especially at night time around residential areas. In order to manage the noise produced by brakes, itis best for heavy vehicle drivers to avoid using their exhaust brakes andengine compression brakes when travelling through these areas. That is, unless there is a safety reason.

Managing Noise
There aresimple things that you as a road user can do to help reduce and manage theamount of noise your vehicle produces.

-Be aware of noise sensitive areas
-Only use your horn when necessary in order to avoid a collision occurring
-Refrain from unnecessary acceleration and unnecessary suddenbraking
-Ensure your exhaust system is maintained regularly
-Limit exhaust and compression braking in residential and sensitiveareas