August 1, 2005
Noise Free America
For immediate release
Contact:
Ted Rueter
877-NOISE-NO
[email protected]
Madison: America’s motorcycle goons have won this month’s “Noisy Dozen” award from Noise Free America for blasting through the nation and maintaining that “loud pipes save lives.”
Ted Rueter, Noise Free America’s director, notes that “motorcycle riders claims that removing the muffler and revving the engine creates greater ‘safety.’ There is not a shred of evidence for this proposition. These Hell’s Angels goons are making noise for the purpose of making noise. They are scaring pedestrians and drivers to make themselves feel ‘manly.’ Safety is the least of their concerns.”
Even the American Motorcycle Association agrees. In the 1990s, the AMA’s Board of Trustees adopted the slogan, “Loud Pipes Risks Rights.” They teamed with the Motorcycle Industry Council to promote the message, “Less Sound Equals More Ground” among off-highway riders. Dirt Rider magazine renewed the call for responsible off-highway motorcycle riding by creating Team Stealth.
Motorcycle noise levels are often oppressive, producing sounds of 119 decibels when throttled up. This is equivalent in intensity to a loud rock concert or a chainsaw. Exposure to noise at 100 decibels is safe for only 15 minutes and permanent hearing loss can occur with prolonged level of 85 decibels or higher, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
“While some motorcyclists are responsible,” said Ted Rueter, “many are criminals and hooligans. The police should crack down on eardrum-busting motorcyclists.”
Noise Free America is a national citizens group opposed to noise pollution. Past “winners” of the Noisy Dozen award include Echo Manufacturing, Governor Jesse Ventura, and Pioneer Electronics.