Ask The Copper

[AussieStato]

It's up to the officers description to determine what's too loud. He doesn't have to prove a pre determined level, it's up to you to prove that it wasn't too loud. How are you going to prove that? You can't. So you just have to chalk it up to experience and pay the fine and move on.

well my mates decided to take it to court... cause you cant make a law that doesnt have a rule to follow... one person would say its not loud while another would say it is... as far as im concerned the law is flawed and can be easily beaten in court... but we'll all see what my mates case turns out like i suppose... but we all had a laugh at my mate cause out of all our mates his system is the quietest... his system is only capable of 138db where other guys we hang with have around 150db systems and have never been done... hahahhaa

 

[Tatiana]

cause you cant make a law that doesnt have a rule to follow...

So let's understand this correctly. An Officer of the Law stands in Court and tells the Judge the Stereo was loud and offensive. Your mate is going to say "no it wasn't and you can't prove it."

Now not only will the Judge err on the side of an Officer sworn to uphold the law but the the maximum dB(A) is 60. You admit his stereo can go up to 138dB(A). There is a rule for measuring noise when a window is open and shut that has been documented by the EPA and is in the legistlation. I am sure in the Officers sworn statement he will say "I was X metres away from the vehicle and I could hear the music, whereas it has been previously measured and documented that at a maximum of 60dB(A) you would be unable to hear the stereo at X metres." A specialist in this field could also be called to say in his expert opinion if you could clearly hear the music at X distance then it was in breach of 60dB(A)

Maybe you need to spell this out to your mate before he wastes his time and faces court fees on top of his current fine.

 

[Pickle']

Mate, all i can say is, people like you and your mates make me feel like becoming a cop. I have had decent stereos in my cars since i started driving 4-5 years ago 150db is well and truly unnecessary for any application BUT if you feel the need to have a stereo that loud have some respect for other road users, don't pump it at traffic lights (which is what im guessing he was doing when the cops got him), your not cool, chicks don't dig it.

 

[Grennan]

Thats cause ur thinking of the wrong db... 138db is his spl(sound pressure level) which has absolutly nothing to do with how loud the system is... A coppers word is only good if there is evidence to prove there case... Otherwise it can be argued as harrassment... And my mate will have his lawyer with him... He doesnt care about the fine he just wants to prove that cops are full of **** and get away with murder...

Well doung 180 on the streets is dangerous and risks lives... A sound system turned up for the enjoyment of driver isnt hurting ne one... And no shes not a dog for doing her job shes a dog for issuing him a fine cause he asked a question regarding his rights as driver...

It annoys other people. There are sound limits because it pisses people off.

Also, this thread is here to ask a question and get an answer. If you dont want to be told you were in the wrong then dont post, we arent here to validate your sense of being cheated. Your "mate" was in the wrong, hes been fined. There is a law for it and if you think the police have no evidence I have two words for you - Expert Witness. Cop it on the chin and move on.

 

[Drawnnite]

Well doung 180 on the streets is dangerous and risks lives... A sound system turned up for the enjoyment of driver isnt hurting ne one... And no shes not a dog for doing her job shes a dog for issuing him a fine cause he asked a question regarding his rights as driver...

tell us it isnt hurting you in 25 years when you are a deaf as a stone.

and yes you are hurting me.
because your doing non repairable damage to my ears and everyone else around.

also why do you need your music so loud?
plus theres a good chance you may not hear emergency services
and the distrortion and vibrations could mean you cannot see a clear rear view picture, thus not seeing their lights etc.


also while im here, i may aswell ask a question.
is having a towball on your car if your not towing at the time illegal?
it seems to come up on here alot and would be good to be clarified for good.
i mean i dont have it on all the time. some cars i have seen you "cannot" take it off and othertimes im left it on just before or after towing and dropping a trailer off.

 

[Trayner]

also while im here, i may aswell ask a question.
is having a towball on your car if your not towing at the time illegal?
it seems to come up on here alot and would be good to be clarified for good.
i mean i dont have it on all the time. some cars i have seen you "cannot" take it off and othertimes im left it on just before or after towing and dropping a trailer off.

Yeh it is lol , When I went and got a rwc on my ute I had to remove it for the pics as , your not sposed to have a towbar on the when your not towing , Stuid law is stupid

 

[VicCop]

Geez, no matter when I check or often there's nothing going on here, but then leave it for too long and there's a heap to catch up on.

Here we go:

I have a question and before you ask no i haven't been done just curious

if your doing 60km's in a 50 zone (speeding), then turn into a 60 zone, still doing 60km, But a cop saw you doing 60 in the 50 zone, can he still book you for speeding even though the area he is giving you the ticket in you weren't speeding?

hope this kind of makes sense, just curious as to what the outcome would be, end of the day the driver should get done, but can deny ever speeding.

I think this one was already answered and it's obvious.

the thing I want to ask the copper is:
when you are stopped at a booze bus, on your L's and they ask "and is he *points at dad* your instructor tonight"?
what happens if you say "no"?

No need to even ask that question. Whoever is sitting in the front seat automatically becomes the instructing driver, or known as "in charge" of the car. Another point to note is that this person needs to be under .05, not zero, but under the limit. I have ended up with a few who thought that it was ok to go out with the family and booze up thinking it's ok because one of their kids is learning so they can drive home and not have to worry. Well they were wrong. It's not a ticket either in any case, it's straight to court for that one.

Some officers aren't very bright

Then you have no idea what sort of work and qualifications coppers have to pass through in order to get where they are.

i dont know if this has been a raised issue in here before but im not reading through 116pgs to find out... My mate recently got done for Offsensive noise for having his car stereo too loud... $150 and 2 points... Anyone heard of this bulshit... how do they determine wat is too loud? and what offensive about it? he was only playing pendulum... not as if he was blasting kevin bloody wilson or anything...

I'll settle this one. It's to do with EPA provisions (or whatever they're using in other states) because the noise is at an unacceptable level. Could call it "noise pollution" for an easier term. This doesn't just apply to cars but all forms of excessive noise. Just like in homes. I've had it before where I go to a typical noise complaint, even during the day, to have the occupants say "But it's ok because it's not after 10 o'clock (or some other time they heard years ago from their best friends wifes cousins uncles daughter)". Councils might have certain time guidelines but these don't matter if the noise is excessive or unreasonable.

Like i care... Im not saying ALL cops are dogs... Ive met some great cops in my time... Hell my auntys a copper... But there are a few coppers getting around that are wankers... Treat motorists like dirt and think they know all about the law when they clearly dont... And should check the law before they start handing out fines willy nilly...

Then go ask your aunty these questions and tell her your concerns about the quality of coppers these days. But she might not like your disgusting attitude.

This further goes to show how little you actually know. I'm not going into procedural detail except to say that there's more that happens once an infringement notice is issued. Things that you don't get to see to ensure there is evidence to support it and that the notice is valid.

 

[Nic92]

fair enough, you get pulled over for being too loud, but how do you know being inside the car it is too loud outside of the car?

i'm suprised we never got done for having my drunken father in the passenger when i was on my l's.

 

[AlexVSII]

No need to even ask that question. Whoever is sitting in the front seat automatically becomes the instructing driver, or known as "in charge" of the car. Another point to note is that this person needs to be under .05, not zero, but under the limit. I have ended up with a few who thought that it was ok to go out with the family and booze up thinking it's ok because one of their kids is learning so they can drive home and not have to worry. Well they were wrong. It's not a ticket either in any case, it's straight to court for that one.

Who gets busted in this case? The learner driver, who is under the limit, the supervisor who is over the limit or both?

 

[acarmody]

fair enough, you get pulled over for being too loud, but how do you know being inside the car it is too loud outside of the car?

Leave your stereo on, get out of your car, walk 5 metres away. Can you still hear the stereo? Yes, than too loud.

Its common sense really, exactly what the cops will use. I have a decent stereo too but I keep it sensible. Empty highway at 2am going home, stereo loud. Day driving in heavy traffic, stereo quiet. At night near houses, very quiet.