See, playing or listening to music in your car is perfectly fine in India, but listening to loud music in particular is actually illegal and you can face some legal consequences for that. You see, the main reason behind loud music being illegal in cars is the safety, not just your safety, but the safety of thee people on the road. Let’s understand it in a better way, shall we?
What Laws Are There Regarding Playing Loud Music In Car?
1. Motor Vehicles (Driving) Regulations, 2017 and Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act, 2019
The Motor Vehicles Act is just an incidental regulation that loud music falls under. This is fairly laid down in Section 5(10), which provides that drivers should not play loud music in their cars. They might be fined between ₹500 and ₹1,000 if they do. This regulation is there to make sure drivers are not distracted by loud music, which can lead to accidents.
2. Indian Penal Code (IPC):
The loud music is also mentioned in the IPC. Section 268 explains a public nuisance. If it is found that your loud music is such that it causes trouble to others on the road or in the vicinity, then action can be taken against you. In other words, if loud music from your car irritates other drivers or passersby, you may find yourself in legal trouble.
3. Noise Pollution (Control and Regulation) Rules, 2000:
These rules set the limits for the noise from different zones: industrial, commercial, and residential areas. For example, in the residential zones, the level of noise should not exceed 55 decibels during the day and 45 at night time. That makes your car with loud music illegal if it goes beyond those limits. Always remember, police have instruments with which they can measure noise and fine you if your sound is too high.
Practical Implications and Enforcement
See, the traffic police enforce these rules. And yes, they can very well stop drivers playing loud music and issue fines. In extreme cases, they may even seize your driver’s license for such an activity that creates a hazard on the road. These traffic police sometimes use sound level meters to measure how much your music exceeds the limit, thus making sure you follow the law on the maximum amount of sound from your vehicle.
Impact on Driving and Safety
You must understand that loud music in the car can be a really major distraction. Studies indicate that it is really hard for a driver to focus and at the same time be able to react in good time to the varying road conditions with loud music. One study showed that when young drivers played loud, fast music, they made more errors and drove more aggressively than when they played more soothing music or didn’t play any at all. In effect, this suggests that loud music might cause accidents. You know, when you are blasting loud music in your car, it is really hard to hear important sounds like horns, sirens, or other vehicles, which can really be dangerous when you are driving on the road.
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