No more blasting the car radio across Florida. New law means fines for drivers jamming out
Get ready to turn down your tunes blasting through the car stereo — or you might be handed a hefty fine.
Starting July 1, a new Florida statute will go into effect banning drivers from cranking up their music too loud on the road.
Audio can’t be clearly heard at a range of 25 feet or more, or roughly two lanes over. The law also states that sound can’t be louder than necessary for people in the car to hear near churches, schools, or hospitals.
Breaking this law is considered a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a nonmoving violation with fines of $115.
“There’s a reason behind it, “ said Kenia Fallat, Miami Police spokeswoman. “Loud music impairs hearing sometimes.”
One of the biggest reasons is to make sure drivers can hear emergency vehicles while driving, and to ensure they’re not in the way.
A similar law was shot down nearly a decade ago because the wording was too vague. This new law is more specific, and there are some ways to measure “louder than necessary.”
“In the past we’ve used decible detectors,” Fallat said.
The law doesn’t apply to law enforcement vehicles, nor to vehicles being used for political or business purposes that normally use amplified sounds. However, authorities can regulate the time and way businesses and political entities use louder sound.
