The bill on fines for noisy cars and motorcycles passed the first reading in the State Duma

The State Duma adopted in the first reading a bill developed by the Moscow authorities that gives the regions the right to fine vehicle owners for disturbing citizens’ sleep by the noise of cars and motorcycles in the amount of up to 30 thousand rubles. Violations will be recorded using automatic sound level cameras. The parliamentarians admitted that they did not see how they work – it is not clear, but they are waiting for amendments to the second reading.

Amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses, which the State Duma considered yesterday, were developed by the Moscow City Hall and the Moscow City Duma on behalf of the capital’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin. In August 2021, he commissioned a system of punishments for owners of excessively noisy cars and motorcycles, calling for a fight against “frostbitten motorists who drive without silencers and with loud music” at night. The bill was submitted to Parliament in November 2022. The document gives the authorities of the subjects the right to impose fines – from 5 to 30 thousand rubles – for violation of noise standards, which will be prescribed in a government decree. Violations will be recorded with the help of sound level cameras, the prototypes of which were developed and previously tested in Moscow at Chistye Prudy (“Kommersant” talked about this).

Alexander Semennikov, head of the Moscow City Duma commission on legislation, who presented the amendments in the State Duma, said that exceeding the noise level only at night, from 23:00 to 07:00, in “especially protected areas” will be considered a violation: in residential areas, near hospitals, boarding houses, sanatoriums, rest homes. Sound level meters with three directional microphones will be able to detect violators directly in the traffic flow, working similarly to other automatic cameras: a violation and a vehicle number are recorded, the owner receives a decision and a fine. Today, Mr. Semennikov explained, it is difficult to record such violations: the inspector must record the excess noise, detain and stop the car, present evidence to the car owner, and the fine is only 500 rubles. A penalty fork of 5–30 thousand rubles. introduced due to the fact that the final size of the sanction will depend on the category and power of the motor. In the event that a noisy car is stopped by an inspector, he will be able to evacuate the car to a car impound.

The Duma Committee on State Construction supported the concept of the amendments, said deputy Irina Belykh (United Russia), subject to revision. The procedure for calculating the amount of a fine can only be determined by the norms of the federal Code of Administrative Offenses, the committee concluded. Ms. Belykh believes that it is necessary to supplement the bill with the rule that if it is impossible to eliminate the violation on the spot, then the car is detained for the night and returned to the owner in the afternoon with an order prohibiting operation before visiting the service.

Deputy Mikhail Matveev (KPRF) asked if the authorities were planning to use sound level meters to monitor people by recording their conversations. The devices, Mr. Semennikov assured, will not be used to solve police operational tasks. Deputy Anton Tkachev (“New People”) noted that cars in the stream are driving tightly, sound level meters can make a mistake with the source of noise. These questions, Alexander Semennikov said, should be asked to the relevant ministries, which will formulate the requirements for sound level meters. “Are mistakes possible? Well, people aren’t sinless either. There will probably be mistakes, but the system of protecting the rights of a citizen remains,” the deputy added. “We are talking about the night time, when there is no dense traffic flow.”

Deputy Dinar Gilmutdinov (United Russia) noted that many car owners drive certified vehicles (including noise tests): what is the basis then to hold them accountable? “If people bought a noisy car before you came up with these rules, then their rights should not be violated,” MP Anton Bichaev (United Russia) continued the thought. When measuring noise, the complexes will also take into account the documentation for the car, no one will prohibit their operation, Alexander Semennikov assured. Most often, the deputy explained, violators use modified engines and non-standard exhaust systems.

“The problem is urgent,” summed up the communist Alexander Kurinny. “But we, in fact, are adopting a virtual law. What will we measure? We don’t know. What will we measure? We don’t know. Devices do not exist. Perhaps the Moscow authorities should first install sound level meters at construction sites and test them there?”

Amendments to the second reading of the bill must be developed before August 18.

Ivan Buranov