Government trialling new ‘Noise Camera’ to detect rowdy drivers across the UK

The new technology will identify ‘rowdy drivers’ and reduce noise pollution.

The Department for Transport has revealed that new technology is being trialled across parts of the UK that can detect anti-social drivers. The Transport Secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan,has confirmed that the trial will run across four locations to tackle noise pollution on some of Britain’s loudest streets.

The Government website states that the new technology uses a video camera in conjunction with a number of microphones to accurately pinpoint excessively noisy vehicles as they pass by. This means that if a driver breaks the law by revving their engine unnecessarily they will be detected. It’s said that the camera will take a picture of the vehicle and record the noise level, creating a digital package of evidence for local authorities to use when finding drivers.

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Road noise is a serious problem that can cause many personal and societal issues. It is known to contribute to health problems, such as heart attacks, strokes and dementia, and the annual social cost of urban road noise, including lost productivity from sleep disturbance and health costs is estimated to be up to £10 billion.

Noise Abatement Society chief executive Gloria Elliott OBE said: “Excessively noisy vehicles and anti-social driving causes disturbance, stress, anxiety and pain to many. It is unsafe and disrupts the environment and people’s peaceful enjoyment of their homes and public places.

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Communities across the UK are increasingly suffering from this entirely avoidable blight.

“The Noise Abatement Society applauds rigorous, effective, evidence-based solutions to address this issue and protect the public.”

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According to the Government website, the trials will continue for two months across the country. The department continues to work closely with all local authorities and MPs to tackle rowdy, illegal noise disruption from traffic.

So, where are the trails taking place? Here’s everything we know about the new ‘noise camera’ technology.

What has the government said about the technology?

Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: “Rowdy road drivers beware – these new cameras will help the police clampdown on those who break the legal noise limits or use illegally modified exhausts to make excessive noise in our communities. We’ll be working closely with the local authorities and police to share any findings, and I hope that this technology paves the way for quieter, peaceful streets across the country.”

Where will the ‘Noise Camera’ be trialled?

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The new technology is being trialled in the four following locations: Bradford, Bristol, Great Yarmouth and Birmingham. The trials, backed by £300,000, start with the camera in Keighley, Bradford from today (October 18) and will then be placed in the other three locations over the next two months.

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The areas where the technology is trialled was determined following a competition launched by the Department of Transport that identified the areas to host the cameras in April and the department also carried out extensive testing at a private test track facility took place to perfect the technology.

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