ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, September 10, 1996 TAG: 9609100032
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
Play a song on the car stereo loud enough to rock the shocks of the dump truck four cars away and risk up to a $1,000 fine - without warning, according to town police.
Blacksburg Police Officer Larry Hipes said numerous complaints pour into the police station each year about drivers with stereos cranked loud enough to rattle windows of nearby homes.
The local noise law states that when music played by a car stereo is "plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet from its source" it is a noise disturbance.
Hipes said the loud music is not only irritating to people nearby, but it poses a danger. The driver obviously cannot easily hear emergency vehicle sirens and vehicle horns, he said.
Since the vehicle is mobile, Hipes said, a General District Court judge has ruled that no warning is necessary from police before issuing a ticket. If convicted, the driver faces a fine of up to $1,000 and as much as six months in jail.
Hipes said police will provide extra patrol anywhere citizen complaints have pinpointed as trouble spots. Any questions about the law and its enforcement can be answered by calling police at 961-1150.
LENGTH: Short : 32 linesby CNB