Recent complaints regarding loud vehicle noise in Songdo International City, Incheon, have raised concerns about the effectiveness of current enforcement measures.

According to Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, and the Yeonsu Police Station on Friday, July 3, reports and complaints about loud vehicle noise in the outskirts of Songdo International City have been ongoing this year.

The Yeonsu Police Station received 21 related reports between January and June, while Yeonsu-gu received 11 complaints during the same period.

The incidents primarily occur in the outskirts of the city, such as the roads near the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club and the vacant lots near Aam Bridge 1.

A Songdo resident who requested anonymity complained, "There were times when the police were dispatched for three consecutive days due to severe noise, but the reckless driving continues," adding, "Not only residents but also nearby businesses are suffering from the noise."

While the police and local government have announced plans for joint crackdowns, it remains uncertain whether these efforts will lead to actual citations.

Under the current Noise and Vibration Control Act, the permissible limit for vehicle exhaust noise ranges from 100 to 105 decibels (dB), depending on the vehicle type.

According to Ministry of Environment regulations, noise enforcement requires measuring the sound at the moment of rapid acceleration while the vehicle is stationary, with the gear in neutral.

It is difficult to capture the loud noise produced by vehicles actually speeding on the road using this current measurement method.

In fact, Yeonsu-gu, which is responsible for enforcing noise regulations on vehicles in operation, has not recorded a single case of a vehicle exceeding the noise limit during field measurements over the past three years.

Even when the district office responded to complaints and conducted measurements, the noise levels were mostly found to be in the high 90 dB range, just slightly below the legal limit.

The number of cases where police caught drivers for noise-related violations under the Road Traffic Act from January to June was only three.

In these cases, the penalty is merely a fine of 40,000 won for passenger cars.

Most of the vehicles making loud noises are standard sports cars that were manufactured that way, making it difficult to apply charges for violations of the Motor Vehicle Management Act related to illegal modifications.

An official from Yeonsu-gu explained, "The current noise limit of 105 dB is equivalent to the noise of a train passing by right next to you," adding, "Even the noise from standard vehicles is quite loud by general standards, but because the permissible limit is set so high, almost no vehicles are caught during actual enforcement."

The official added, "I understand that even across all of Incheon, there have only been three or four cases of vehicles being caught for exceeding noise limits recently. We believe that improvements to legal noise standards and enforcement methods are necessary."

A police official stated, "We receive many reports related to noise driving, especially in the summer, and we check the scenes," and added, "We plan to conduct a joint crackdown with the local government and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority on the 8th to identify illegal activities such as unauthorized vehicle modifications."

(Photo: Yonhap News)