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NYC car addict sues after his $315K Lamborghini supercar gets ticket from noise camera

NYC ‘car addict’ sues after his $315K Lamborghini supercar gets ticket from noise camera

https://nypost.com/2024/08/27/us-news/nyc-car-addict-sues-after-his-315k-lamborghini-supercar-gets-ticket-from-noise-camera/

A Staten Island driver is suing over a “noise camera” ticket for his $315,000 Lamborghini — saying the fine should be dropped because he didn’t modify the supercar to make it louder.…

86 comments

Pogogunner

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According to city violation data aggregated by the popular website How’s My Driving NY, Aquilino did receive two tickets on that same day in the West Village for blowing through a red light and speeding in a school zone.

Supercars should be on racetracks, where they were designed for, instead of public roads. And Aquilino definitely should not be driving them on public roads.

It's pretty stupid that the law went after modifications, instead of just saying noise above x decibels is the issue.

DrunkEngineer

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Actually, the law does just say "above 85db" is not allowed. Doesn't matter if the car is stock or not.

Pogogunner

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Can you source this? I tried looking it up, and I found this

https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/newyorkcity/latest/NYCadmin/0-0-0-209188

and

https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-01102

Which seem more concerned about how far away you can hear a vehicle from, rather than a specified decibel rating (But maybe that's just a simpler way to measure decibel?)

phdepressed

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It's a way to assess dB without a gauge on hand.

DrunkEngineer

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https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a60583398/nyc-noise-camera-loud-exhaust-case/

papabobolious

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They're not designed for racetracks. They're also faster than Formula 1 cars in certain regards. But make no mistake they are still designed for road use. There's no CarPlay on racetracks.

Sneptaur

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Fun fact: any stock car that is this loud has something called an “exhaust valve” or a cutout. It’s an electronic device that adjusts the sound of the exhaust. Responsible super car owners only open this valve on the track, or in other appropriate places. I hope they repossess his little toy.

Death_Equity

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It is no coincidence that the valves typically open in "sport" or "race" modes and in "street" mode the valves are closed.

icedterminal

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I don't know if this is well known, but Lamborghini has a track record of loud exhaust, period. Regardless of valve state. Huracan Performante owners requested that Lamborghini make the next special edition a little quieter. Reason being the Performante was too loud even on race tracks. Track day drivers know there are noise limits that vary by track. You're asked to leave immediately if you exceed the limit. You may also receive a temporary ban and/or fine.

What did Lamborghini do? Make the Huracan STO even louder across all driving modes. The company demonstrates it believes noise limits themselves are annoying. While I do like loud cars myself, sometimes a noise compliant normal or comfort mode doesn't exist.

Artyom

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Sound to me like Lamborghini isn't interested in listening to the concerns of thr people and our only option is to punish the car owners until they stop getting bought. One is the logical consequence of the other.

FireRetardant

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It shouldn't even be legal to operate an exhaust loud enough to require hearing protection.

Sneptaur

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Well, luckily for you it’s not legal!

barsquid

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"I feel that if the residents are upset by noise and the city wants to crack down on noise — I don’t disagree with it," Aquilino said. "I disagree with if a car is unmodified and you want to fine them."

Massive ego on this sack of shit. "Residents are upset by noise but if the noise is stock then it is fine."

SomethingBurger

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I understand where he is coming from. If the car is street legal, he shouldn't have gotten a fine for using it. The problem is that cars that produce such levels of noise are street legal.

Sauerkraut

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Lambos aren't quiet, but if you drive them gently then they aren't loud enough to set off the noise camera.

So this is a bit like arguing someone should be allowed to blast their music at midnight just because the speakers were legal to buy and own. If a city implements noise restrictions to protect the health and well-being of their residents then people have a legal and moral obligation to do their best to comply even if that means driving your lambo slowly through residential areas.

BruceTwarzen

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They maybe don't set them.off, but where i live, quite a lot of people drive Lamborghinis, and they are obnoxious loud, even if they just idle on a redlight. And just hitting the accelerator slightly more than usual and they are way louder than any peasant car is ever allowed to be.

exanime

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Every single car you and I have ever owned, are presumably street legal, yet they can reach speeds that are illegal almost everywhere.

Similarly, every knife I have ever owned has the necessary sharpness to cut meat... yet I am not supposed to cut human meat. I am pretty certain the car would not reach undesirable noise levels if he were not speeding or revving the engine, etc. So it is more on him for HOW he is using the car and not how the car was built

So his reasoning sounds legit, but it really is not.

Dkarma

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Ok dumbass how do you adjust your exhaust? You can adjust your speed and sound of your stereo but you can't adjust a stock exhaust. Nice false equivalence

Riven

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He could just drive normally and his car would never reach the noise level for the ticket. Dude is intentionally driving to make noise. Similar to how bikes can Rev hard to be loud or just drive normally and be less loud.

jacksilver

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He states in the article he was slowing down when hitting the area the sound camera was in.

Either way either make the cars illegal or deal. You can't arbitrarily decide a car is illegal at a given moment in time. I get that people are annoyed with the sounds, but that's one of the deals of living in a city. You know how many sirens go by in those area?

Riven

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Idk if I would believe a dude who got 2 more tickets that same day for speeding in a slow zone and running a red light.

exanime

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well in the case of the car in the article... maybe don't rev up every 10 meters like the length of your penis depends on it?

Sauerkraut

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Easy, you just drive slower and gently accelerate the car and then it will be far quieter.

In a perfect world we could all be as loud as we wanted all the time and it wouldn't hurt anyone, but people racing up and down residential streets wakes people up and there is data that shows traffic noises reduce your life expectancy.... So I have to side with the sound restrictions here. Your freedom to be obnoxiously loud ends when it objectively negatively impacts public health.

bamfic

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Dont wind the fucker out

USSMojave

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Just because it's stock doesn't mean the driver can't rev the engine way too hard and loud like a crazy person, engine braking loud at shit down the street in the middle of the night, yeah could be annoying

Hupf

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https://youtu.be/_0nsO9IS2Vs

barsquid

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Some others have mentioned there may be a distinction between levels of noise when the car is in some sort of "street" mode. I have zero sympathy if there is a street legal mode that he turned off while on public roads.

hanrahan

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The car can do 200 miles per hour, and yet there are speed limits. Should he be exempt?

sem

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Duh, it can go 200 mph stock.

9488fcea02a9

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Whats the noise level if the car is driving at a reasonable speed in the city?

I imagine it's only excessively noisy if they are showing off, revving the engine, and/or streeet racing

Schmuppes

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That car cruising at 30 mph in the city is probably louder than a Honda Civic when you put the loud pedal all the way down on the freeway.

superkret

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It depends on the revs, not the speed.

Schmuppes

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Yeah no shit. The thing is, those supercars are insanely loud from factory. I was behind a pair of Diablo SVs in a traffic jam on the motorway once, and even then they pretty much drowned out the sound of the little 500 cc motorcycle engine between my legs. I have no idea how those things are deemed street legal.

Edit: It's not about the revs alone, but also engine load. 3000 rpm stationary might be relatively quiet, but 3000 rpm with the throttle blades wide open is an entirely different matter.

irotsoma

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Street legal doesn't mean incapable of violating noise regulations if misused just like speed laws or any other traffic laws. Most gas engine cars can produce extreme amounts of noise just not when used as intended for driving on streets.

Hawk

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This is true, but why not fine all individuals in that case (assuming the driver was not accruing in bad faith).

Government regulation has to apply equally to the rich and the poor and if there was no signage indicating his street legal car could not be used on that street, it's hard to see how he should be liable.

I don't have a lot of sympathy for a guy with that kind of money, but it doesn't mean he's filthy rich either, for all we know he's got cancer and sold his house for the dream car, who knows.

The point is, government regulation should be consistent and act in the best interest of the people. This is a failure in public policy.

ProgrammingSocks

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This is still a goofy line of reasoning. If you, for example, are driving a truck equipped with engine retarder brakes, in quite a lot of municipalities you literally aren't allowed to use them because they are too loud for neighbourhoods. You risk getting a fine.

Revving a lambo is exactly the same.

SlopppyEngineer

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People driving loud cars are psychotic. That's a fact.

BruceTwarzen

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I fucking hate these things so much. I'm not as opposed to cars as many others in this sub, i need a car for work and i have a car that i sometimes drive on the weekends. Lamborghinis especially are such a thorn in my eyes, they look like ass, they are LOUD as shit, and not under load, they are just loud all the time. They are way to wide for normal streets and the most impractical things ever. And because they are only driven by cunts, they are extra loud. Peasant cars have to follow rules, but as soon as you have enough money: well, timmy needs a v12 racecar and they are very loud, that makes sense, right?

undefined

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I found it weird he complained about “how can anyone afford this?” referring to the tickets.

First off, they’re supposed to be high to enforce the law and secondly how are you complaining about the cost while driving a $300k car around?

lemmywinksthegerbilking

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tax the rich.

Sauerkraut

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Or eat them. I'd support either.

Angry_Autist

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Mulch them, their diets make the meat taste nasty and have higher concentrations of mercury.

Let the earth leech the sickness from their corpses and turn it into next year's crops.

ProgrammingSocks

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Sell your fucking car to pay for it, I don't care. Maybe a Prius will fix your attitude

SuperCub

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The new Prius looks 🔥

Max_P

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Ah yes, my car is stock so I should be able to disturb the whole neighbourhood with my car.

I get it, sports cars are fun to drive, but they very much don't need to be this loud.

witty_username

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I want noise cameras in my neighborhood

Kanzar

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Sounds like it shouldn't be considered legal for onroad use there. :/

jimmy90

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oooh i wish i had one of these, wanker bikers like to rev their engines down our street

Mr_Blott

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LoUd pIPEs sAvE liVEs

I literally cannot hear you in my 1.2 litre Korean shitbox you insufferable oaf

lengau

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Nor can most drivers

Mr_Blott

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Yep, and that study was also pretty pointless because it didn't include tyre noise and wind noise in the car

sem

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I can hear them from inside a car

oyo

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But they're Sooo cool!

phoenixz

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Can we please get these in Vancouver? So many loud losers that just need to make sure everyone can hear how cool they are

disgrunty

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We need them in most residential areas honestly. I live by a main road in my town and there's so many people with these cars in the wee hours of the morning. I hate them.

Steve

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He's not exactly wrong. On the face of it, it is a legal contradiction.

NY says the car is legal to drive anywhere within the state.
Then a local government sets a noise ordnance, making the car essentially illegal to drive in that part of the state.
The conflicting laws need to get sorted out. No different than states not being able to make laws that go against federal law.

If they take the same stance as State vs Federal, then the local ordnance being more restrictive than the states would supersede the state law. At the same time it could become unreasonable for individuals to research all the local ordinances they may encounter in a 20 mile trip.

So yah. It's easy to say "Asshole drives an expensive loud car and complains about the fine."
But there is more nuance and complications here that could go well beyond cars.

DrunkEngineer

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There is no contradiction. Just because the vehicle is licensed for street use doesn't give the owner permission to operate it in ways that violates the law.

Steve

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Or at all? Because he wasn't doing anything unusual. He wasn't racing, or speeding even. Just driving normally.

DrunkEngineer

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Nothing unusual? On the same day he got the noise ticket, he received tickets for running a red light and speeding in a school zone.

Steve

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If that was at the same time and place as the noise system was triggered, that might matter.

Hawke

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You sure about that?

According to city violation data aggregated by the popular website How’s My Driving NY, Aquilino did receive two tickets on that same day in the West Village for blowing through a red light and speeding in a school zone.

He says he was just driving normally but I get the feeling he may be at the very least stretching the truth.

Steve

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Possibly. But we don't know if that was the case at the location of the noise monitoring.

Roggebrood

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You could argue the same about emission zones which are common across Europe (mainly in inner cities). Just because your vehicle is allowed on the road, it doesn't you can drive it anywhere.

Steve

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Agreed. But again its a question of scale. Its reasonable for one larger city. But what about 20 small towns?

Nouveau_Burnswick

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At the same time it could become unreasonable for individuals to research all the local ordinances they may encounter in a 20 mile trip.

It is extremely reasonable. Drivers are always responsible to learn the laws of places they drive. Are you only required to follow the law of your plate's state/province? Is turning right on red in NYC okay if you are plated outside the city?

jacksilver

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Either the car is street legal or not, we don't need to give cops even more power to pull people over and/or ticket them. This is an unreasonable burden for a person.

SomethingBurger

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Not it is not. Driver's licenses are valid in the entire country, the rules of the road should be the same everywhere.

Steve

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NY requires each intersections that aren't Right on Red to be posted at the light. So you know on a turn by turn basis if you're allowed or not. A noise ordinance isn't.

In larger areas sure. Knowing those things is reasonable. But if you're crossing 15 different little municipalities is it reasonable to expect people to look up all the local laws for each of them?

rbn

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I'm with you. But the consequence to sort out the contradiction might be also a state-wide ban if certain boundaries are exceeded.

Steve

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That could be the case, making the car no longer street legal to buy and register in NY. That's a reasonable solution.

barsquid

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Aren't there noise ordinances in every city? Do you look up the specific decibel levels for every city you drive through?

Steve

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Not all. And not just cities. But small towns, villages, even HOAs. You'd have to check them all.

barsquid

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No, I mean they already exist. And nobody is looking them up, because who cares? It turns out if you drive vehicles that make reasonable amounts of noise it isn't a problem.

theacharnian

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Nah, even if it's legal, he's still an asshole.

Steve

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Both can be true

theacharnian

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That's what I said too.

senkora

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But he lives in NYC (Staten Island). It’s his own local government.

LunchMoneyThief

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feedum_sneedson

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Weird thing to say.

noxy

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the fuck does being gay have to do with it?

sunzu2

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Y'all need to loosen up jfc it was a joke with a bit of reverse psychology...

noxy

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Fuck your homophobic joke, and fuck you for making it.

sunzu2

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🤡

feedum_sneedson

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It was a STUPID joke if it was LOCAL they wouldn't have to DRIVE to get there that's the POINT of WALKABLE CITIES.

LunchMoneyThief

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Removed by mod

Ahh, ~~lemmy~~ Reddit never changes.

sunzu2

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Stated reason: children can't read 🤡

sunzu2

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I am sorry people cant read beyond the text infront of them.

This is a solid shitpost, thank you for your service.

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