The police have been instructed to take strict action against motorists using loud horns contributing to sound pollution.
Accordingly, bus drivers have been given a grace period of three months in order to have their loud and varied horns replaced with those that comply with the proper standards.
Speaking at a media conference in Colombo, yesterday, the head of Traffic Police, DIG Ajith Rohana, said strict fines would be imposed on those who fail to adhere to the new regulations.
“Horns can only be tooted either when overtaking another vehicle or to avoid an accident, according to the Motor Traffic Act paragraph 155. Charges will be filed against a driver of a vehicle with a loud and disturbing horn not less than Rs.3,000 to Rs.5,000,” he said.
“If such a horn disturbs or causes inconvenience to another motorist or a pedestrian, the driver of the vehicle could be charged a fine not less than Rs.10,000 and not more than Rs.20,000. In the event a pedestrian suffers injuries due to a sudden shock caused by loud horning, the driver could be charged between Rs.10,000 and Rs.20,000, and would also have to serve a jail term of two months, and even have his license suspended,” the DIG added.
He said in the event a person suffers serious injuries, the owner of the vehicle would be fined between Rs.25,000 and Rs.35,000, and would also have to serve a jail term of six months and the suspension of his license.
“In the event a person is killed due to an incident as a result of the loud horning, the fine can be between Rs.50,000 and Rs.75,000, a one-year jail term, and suspension of the license,” he said.
DIG Rohana also noted that a decision had been taken to limit horns to single-note horns. However, even single-note horns would be permitted to 105 decibels in an open space and 93 decibels if a vehicle is in front at a distance of 2 metres.
He added that all blinking lights have been banned, and if vehicles are fitted with lights other than the front and rear signal lights, their owners would have to face a fine between Rs.2,500 and Rs.25,000.
However, he said that all vehicle owners had been given three months to comply with these regulations, as well as to have their vehicle horns fitted accordingly and have all additional blinking lights removed. This law will be strictly enforced from July, this year, DIG Rohana said.
Based on requests made to the President by environmental organisations regarding sound pollution due to loud horns fixed in buses and other vehicles, the President had ordered the police to implement strict laws and take action against those who have loud horns fixed on their vehicles.
A meeting between the Defence Secretary, environmental organisations, and the IGP was held at the Defence Ministry on April 5th.
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