NEWS RELEASE
BARRIE POLICE
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Noisy cars are one of the most frequent concerns heard by the Barrie Police Service, and our members understand how frustrating and disruptive these vehicles can be.
Road safety is a significant priority for Barrie Police, and our Service is committed to keeping our roads safe for all users and will continue to address concerns raised regarding unsafe driving behaviour on our streets.
Vehicle owners who modify their mufflers, or remove the mufflers entirely, intentionally cause the vehicles to be unnecessarily loud and disruptive to residents, an issue many communities across Ontario are also facing.
This past weekend, the Barrie Police Traffic Unit conducted another enforcement initiative, laying 27 total charges, including 17 noise-related charges.
- No muffler - motor vehicle (5 charges)
- Improper muffler- motor vehicle (6 charges)
- Unnecessary noise - (6 charges)
- Speeding - (3 charges)
- Drive motor vehicle- fail to display two plates - (2 charges)
- Obstruct plate - (1 charge)
- Drive- hand- held communication device- (1 charge)
- Plate improperly displayed - (1 charge)
- No mudguards - (1 charge)
- Drive motor vehicle-perform stunt - (1 charge)
A 29-year-old Barrie male was stopped on Mapleview Drive travelling 136 km/h in a 50 km/h zone – 86 km/h over the posted speed limit. The driver was charged accordingly with stunt driving and his vehicle was impounded.
Our Traffic Unit officers have provided additional training and resources to front-line officers to ensure they are familiar with what to look for when stopping a vehicle, and how to enforce the noisy and modified vehicle sections of the Highway Traffic Act.
Officers from York Regional Police and the Ontario Provincial Police joined Barrie Police in August to implement Project ERASE (Eliminate Racing Activity on Streets Everywhere) in our community, and Barrie officers have assisted in York Region and this past weekend in Wasaga Beach. By targeting modified and racing vehicles in neighbouring communities, police are sending the message that this type of unsafe road use is not welcome anywhere in our region.
We know that many of these vehicles are not from Barrie, and many travel throughout the province. These joint initiatives are an opportunity to pool resources to address the larger issue of illegally modified vehicles and dangerous street racing.
Multiple enforcement initiatives, including initiatives where officers from nearby jurisdictions were in Barrie to assist us with focused enforcement.
If you have concerns over noisy vehicles, please fill out our online Traffic Complaint form online at: https://www.barriepolice.ca/citizens-online-reporting/. This allows our Traffic Unit can determine the areas where noisy vehicles are occurring. The Barrie Police Service has also been working with our Citizens on Patrol (COPS) volunteers to conduct a traffic speed survey and monitor for noisy vehicles. Data collected will be used to strategically deploy our traffic enforcement resources.
