Coalition Formed to Challenge California Exhaust Law
We recently wrote about a revision to California Assembly Bill 1824 which went into effect January 1 2019. This revision stepped up the penalty for driving around Cali with a loud exhaust. What use to be a fix it ticket now became an instant fine on the spot which can add up to fines as much as $1,100 for riding around with that loud exhaust.
A coalition of 13 companies in the aftermarket scene which either manufacture or sell performance products has joined forces with the objective of raising awareness as well as opposition to these changes.
These companies include: aFe, AWE, Borla, Corsa, Invidia, Kooks, Magnaflow, MBRP, Tanabe, TurboXS, Turn14 Distribution, Turn5 and Vibrant Performance.
Jon Pulli, CEO of Turn 14 Distribution has said “The major issue with this bill as it stands is that it relies on subjective measures to determine compliance.”
The coalition has reached out to SEMA to leverage their legal and legislative resources to challenge the newly enacted rules. Not only could this new penalty method have great potential to negatively affect law abiding drivers of California it will also potentially harm the SEMA membership base. What has occurred here is fear tactics for enthusiasts in the state who want to even make legal modifications.
Todd Sager, President of AWE “The recent changes have produced a guilty until proven innocent situation, scaring drivers from making legal modifications to their vehicles. Our goal as a group, at the very least, is to make standardization mandatory when it comes to testing suspected violations. Standardization will require California law officers to conduct a roadside SAE J1492 test, the procedure referred to in the bill, rather than permitting error-prone discretion to be the method by which to determine violation.”
California has always been an aggressive state when it comes to modification laws. With many states keeping an eye on how Cali progresses, this could soon become an issue in more states if this is not addressed.
