The Environment Protection Authority [EPA] Victoria teamed up with Altona Police members recently to target noisy vehicles in the area.
The joint team conducted a vehicle call in, where police issued notices to suspect vehicles to be brought in for road safety inspections.
Of the 9 vehicles tested, EPA officers issued 6 infringement notices for failing to comply with vehicle noise limits under Environment Protection Regulations (2021), with each infringement notice totalling $908.70.
Those who failed to comply with noise emission limits also received a Vehicle Testing Notice [VTN], which directs the owner of the vehicle to take the vehicle to an EPA-approved vehicle tester to gain a Certificate of Compliance.
Failure to comply with the notice may result in further infringement notices or the vehicle registration being suspended, as well as a further fine as much as $1090 for an individual, who is still not able to drive the vehicle until it is compliant.
If the matter goes to court, a fine could rise as high as $5452 for individuals and up to $54,522 for businesses.
Between October 2021 and April 2022, the EPA has issued 3335 VTNs to individual vehicle owners.
People can report noisy vehicles to their local police station, local council or the Department of Transport.
Matthew Sims
