Law enforcement authorities to crack down on modified vehicles
View(s):Creating roaring noise and speeding by fitting additional devices and modifying vehicles or motorcycles will be subject to heavy fines by the authorities reactivating Section (74) of the Motor Traffic Ordinance, officials said.
The Police Department has started a campaign against drivers who modify their vehicles or motor cycles to create loud noise and enhance speed, Police Media spokesman, Superintendent of Police Ruwan Gunasekara told the Business Times.
Motorists who have modified their vehicles, such as by increasing the sound of their exhaust pipes, are being urged to remove such additions as part of a new awareness campaign.
“Police will crack down on motorists who illegally modify their cars or motorcycles with the aim of increasing their speed or other elements within their vehicles because such changes, especially if done incorrectly, may lead to accidents and injuries for both the drivers and surrounding motorists,” SP Gunasekera said.
According to the Motor Traffic Ordinance, those caught with unauthorised additions or other modifications that may cause harm to themselves or others will be fined a minimum Rs.50,000 and a maximum of Rs.100,000 considering the nature of the offence, he disclosed.
“Along with accidents, such modifications also cause noise pollution,” he said adding that if there is any faulty electrical wiring as a result of these changes, it may cause a car to catch fire or increase the risk of it if the vehicle crashes and the fuel tank leaks.
Modifications of vehicles under the guise of beautification using additional spare parts of ancillary will not be permitted under the law, he disclosed.
Vehicles including motorbikes with modified silencers or horns with high decibel levels that go above the permitted sound levels and vehicles with loud audio setups that generate sound will be fined for noise pollution, he warned.
The Environment Ministry and the Motor Traffic Department will assist the police to check vehicles and motorcycles with equipment imported from Denmark, he said.
Legal action would be taken against local companies which modify air horns to generate increased volume, a senior official of the Motor Traffic Department said adding that Sri Lanka Customs has been directed to keep tabs on the horns that are fitted on to the vehicles imported.