TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida House on Wednesday passed a new bill that makes a variety of traffic-related changes — including a ban on unnecessarily revving your engine.
That bill (HB 543) makes a variety of different traffic-related changes to state law, though the new exhaust-system provisions may draw some attention in particular.
Under current law, cars are already required to be equipped with exhaust systems in “good working order,” —including mufflers, manifold pipes and tailpipes — to prevent “excessive or unusual noise.”
State law also lays out what’s considered too loud. For most vehicles, it’s anything over 72 decibels when driving at 35 mph or less. That limit rises to 79 decibels on faster roadways.
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However, HB 543 repeals these decibel-based laws and instead adds the following language to another traffic provision:
“Every motor vehicle that is required by federal law or regulation to be equipped with an exhaust system shall at all times be equipped with and maintain an exhaust system in good working order including muffler, manifold pipe, and tailpiping to prevent excessive or unusual noise.
It is a violation of this subsection to intentionally increase the revolutions per minute or unreasonably accelerate in a manner that would produce excessive or unusual noise.
This subsection does not apply to a motorcycle or moped that does not exceed United States Environmental Protection Agency noise emissions standards in 40 C.F.R. s. 205.152.”
HB 543
Per Legislative analysts, researchers found that most law enforcement agencies had trouble enforcing specific decibel limits.
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As such, the bill essentially sets up a “plainly audible” standard for regulating these exhaust systems.
It’s not the only change that could be brought under HB 543, though. Other new rules are as follows:
- Yellow Lights: Extends the time for a yellow traffic light by 0.4 seconds — up from the current 3.4 seconds
- Speed Limits: Provides more flexibility for local governments to set lower speed limits at any level below the legal maximum speed limit in a residential district
- Disabled Parking: Lets vehicles with a disabled parking permit and permanently installed mobility access equipment to occupy more than one parking space when necessary to use such equipment safely, so long as no designated spaces are available to otherwise accommodate
- Golf Carts: Allows a golf cart that’s been converted to a low-speed vehicle to be titled and registered for operation on roads with up to 35 mph speed limits without inspection by the DHSMV if the owner submits a written affidavit that the vehicle complies with state requirements
- License Plates: Clarifies that license plate frames are allowed so long as they don’t cover up the alphanumeric sequence in the middle or the registration decal in the upper-right corner.
- License Plate Readers: Private entities may install automated license plate recognition systems solely for use on their property, so long as it’s for a public safety-related purpose.
The bill passed the House on Wednesday with only one lawmaker voting against it. As such, it’s now on track to go before the Senate and — if it survives there — Gov. Ron DeSantis.
If passed into law, though, HB 543 is set to take effect in full on July 1.