Drivers in Switzerland who cause unnecessary amounts of noise will soon face stricter rules, under new measures announced by the Federal Council. Those who break the rules will receive increased fines from the Swiss police.

Switzerland tightens traffic noise rules

In a statement, the Federal Council announced that it would be modifying the road traffic rules so that authorities can “sanction excessive vehicle noise more easily and effectively.” In response to a motion approved by parliament, changes to the law will be made to combat noise generated by vehicles.

First, it is now explicitly forbidden to generate “avoidable” noise using a car or motorbike exhaust. This will particularly target the pops and bangs that occur when a vehicle backfires, which can be generated if a showboating driver backs off the throttle or downshifts at a high RPM. 

The government will also forbid drivers from running their engines at high revs for prolonged periods of time, accelerating from a stop too quickly and driving back and forth in one place without a reason. The Federal Council noted that this list is not exhaustive, adding that they would be enforcing the current rules more rigorously.

The amount that drivers will be fined for breaking these rules will vary. However, generally, charges will be increased: using an example the Federal Council said that the fine for leaving an engine running unnecessarily will rise from 60 to 80 Swiss francs.

Road noise costs Switzerland billions every year

In the motion calling for stronger rules, parliament noted that traffic noise has become an increasing problem in Switzerland in recent years. The Federal Office for the Environment estimates that one million people are exposed to overly loud road noise on a regular basis.

This has a dramatic impact on the economy, with officials noting that in 2019 road noise led to additional costs of 2,8 billion francs, of which 80 percent were blamed on cars and motorbikes. 1,5 billion francs of the total costs were related to the impact road noise has on our health.

Noise-activated speed cameras still being tested, says Swiss government

While fines will be increased and strengthened, the Federal Council will hold back on installing the noise-activated speed cameras that were recently trialled in Geneva. They explained that while the pilot was a success, rolling them out nationwide would be “fraught with challenges.”

Such issues include how to inform drivers that they are over the noise limit, and how to factor in the age and model of vehicles when enforcing the rules. Therefore, the government concluded that they would “examine the feasibility in more detail before issuing a possible mandate to create specific legal bases.”

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