Shh Texas, ‘Noise Cameras’ Could Be Coming to a Road Near You
When you drive in Texas you have to be on your game all the time. There are teens texting on the Katy Freeway. Someone is hauling half a house between Humble and Spring. And Lord knows what kind of creature could run out of the woods between Marshal and Lufkin.
Oh and let's not mention the never ending road construction that has been a part of I-10 between Orange, Beaumont, and Houston for at least the last fifty years. I know I have never driven that stretch of roadway without an orange cone and I've been here for three decades.
Keeping Texas highways safe is the responsibility of the Texas Department of Public Safety. They do a fine job of it if you ask me. There had been talk back in the day of adding automated cameras to the Texas Ranger arsenal but those cams were outlawed by the legislature in 2019. Those cameras specifically "watched" for speeders and red-light runners
Texas Are You Ready For Automated Sound Cameras?
But those aren't the only kinds of automated devices that law enforcement agencies could use to monitor traffic and public safety.
Speed cameras use video and motion sensing technology to determine how fast a vehicle approaching the camera is traveling. The "computer" notes the speed and tag number and if necessary sends the data to the law enforcement agency in charge and a citation is written.
Noise "cameras" would do essentially the same thing. The exception is that the technology on board calculates the amount of noise coming from the vehicle. That noise could be in the form of a really loud exhaust system, a broken exhaust system, or the desire of the driver to play their music so loud people in other countries can hear it.
This probably wouldn't work in a highway or Interstate scenario but I know of several towns in Texas that would love to have things quieter on their city streets. The technology is already being used in the United Kingdom.
Health experts agree that loud noises are not good for humans. The heavy beat or bass line from a song can contribute to heart attacks and strokes, and some studies suggest dementia. Lord knows the boom boom boom can make it hard to sleep.
So, there is a need to curtail excessive sound, but is this the correct solution to that problem? As of now, there are no plans that we have been made aware of to install "sound cameras" in Texas.
But when you consider the cameras could be installed in major metropolitan areas and become an alternative source of revenue, there may be some smoke to this fire. After all, what "right thinking" Texas politician could pass up a huge money-filled pocket like that to put his hand in?