Nicky Wagner
National Party MP

16 December 2007

Duynhoven fools public over noisy cars

National MP Nicky Wagner says Transport Safety Minister Harry Duynhoven has fooled the public into believing he has introduced tighter rules for noisy exhausts.

“In fact, the opposite has happened, and boy racers now have a licence to modify their cars to make more noise.

“He said last week that cars and light trucks entering the vehicle fleet after June 2008 will need to comply with a reduced noise limit of 90 decibels.

“But that is not true for existing cars, which have a limit of 95 decibels.

“Harry Duynhoven’s changes mean that all cars and light trucks presently on the road, that are supposed to meet the 91-decibel level required by legislation passed in 1976, will be able to ramp up their noise levels to 95 decibels.

“Even after June, new cars will be allowed to be modified because most will arrive in New Zealand under international regulations which set levels at 84-86 decibels.

“I had an acoustic engineer test cars last Friday night, and the preliminary findings show that a 95 decibel test will capture only the noisiest cars.

“Most cars that would be considered unacceptable by the public are already under 95, even down in the 70's or early 80's.

“They are the ones that will be allowed to be made noisier – and still comply with the law.

“This change makes things worse, not better.

“My petition to limit all cars to 90 decibels is taking off. I have been receiving support from all over the country, with emails and signatures flowing in.

“It’s a pity Harry Duynhoven didn’t take some notice of what the public was saying before he tried to sneak this one past them.”

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