In India, various regulations under the Motor Vehicles Act must be strictly complied with by everyone while driving. Violating these laws can result in penalties or fines. One such regulation involves playing music in cars. There are rules governing the volume of music played, and you cannot simply play music at maximum volume as you wish; doing so can lead to problems.
If you are driving with music playing at an unpleasant volume, but no one outside the car can hear it, you might think it’s harmless. However, if the music is loud enough to be heard by others and disturb them, you could run into trouble. While this may not necessarily violate the Motor Vehicles Act, it could fall under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules of 2000 and result in a fine.
In India, everyone is free to live as they choose. However, this freedom is limited by the fact that if it disturbs someone else’s freedom, it no longer holds. You are free to play music in your car, but it becomes an offense if the volume is loud enough to disturb hearing-sensitive people.
The Central Pollution Control Board has set norms for acceptable noise levels. For loudspeakers, the permissible noise level during daytime is 50 dB, and at night, it is 45 dB. A car loudspeaker functions as a loudspeaker and, therefore, is subject to these regulations.
If you park your car in a residential area with a speaker that exceeds the acceptable noise level, you could face up to 5 years in prison and a fine of ₹1 lakh. Additionally, illegal pressure horns can lead to a fine of ₹10,000. According to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the use of loudspeakers is banned between 10 PM and 6 AM.
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