You know we have many laws and...

You know we have many laws and too many regulations governing driving, insurance, smog and so on. But we do not have one to protect us from noisy cars, trucks and motorcycles. Why?

George Rotaru

Sherman Oaks

Dear Reader:

In fact, there are laws on the books restricting how loud cars and trucks and motorcycles can be. The problem, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Tito Gomez, is that the law can be difficult to enforce except in the most deafening cases.

According to the California Vehicle Code, a passenger car at highway speeds must not exceed a noise level of 82 decibels and a motorcycle must be below 86 decibels. For big trucks traveling faster than 35 m.p.h., noise cannot exceed 90 decibels. (Eighty-two decibels, incidentally, is the sound of, well, a car going at highway speed.)

But what does all that mean?

The decibel system is used to measure sound. A sound measured at 30 decibels is 10 times as loud as one measured at 20 decibels. Our threshold of hearing begins around 10 decibels and uncomfortably loud noises, such as a military jet taking off, log in at about 120 decibels.

The problem faced by officers trying to enforce noise laws is that a lot depends on perception. For instance, a noise at 6 a.m., when there are few other sounds, might be perceived as louder than the same noise at 2 p.m., when the clamor of daily life is in full swing.

Since establishing a decibel level is difficult, officers often will stop a loud vehicle, typically a motorcycle, and check the muffler. It’s easier to write a ticket for someone illegally modifying or removing a muffler than to catch them for violating noise statutes.

Dear Street Smart:

I am writing about a problem that I’ve never seen addressed in any forum: the atrocious driving habits of so many Los Angeles police officers.

I have seen police cars run red lights, turn without signaling, make illegal turns and cut off other drivers--and never because they were chasing anybody. How can we expect ordinary citizens to obey the law, let alone abide by minimal standards of courtesy and decency, if the laws are ignored by those sworn to enforce them? Do these officers think they’re above the law? Perhaps they all should be required to take an annual refresher course on traffic safety. A few hints from Miss Manners wouldn’t hurt either.

Can you shed some light on this, Street Smart?

Norra Macready

Sherman Oaks

Dear Reader:

This is a topic that stirs the spleen in more motorists than just you. Unfortunately, the light we can shed on the subject isn’t too bright.

What is certain is that all police officer candidates must indeed prove their driving skills if they want to qualify for the force. “Part of the training that we’re given in the academy . . . is driver’s training,” says Officer Lorie Taylor, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department.

The training involves several different types of scenarios, such as emergency driving. Once out of the academy, officers continue to receive periodic in-service training behind the wheel. As to how such courses are applied on the road is another matter.

Dear Street Smart:

It irks me that every time my car registration comes due, I pay it, yet there are many thousands of cars on the road that are not registered. I have calculated that there are 500,000-plus cars on the road that are unregistered, meaning millions of dollars are not being collected that the state can use to repair roads, etc.

It seems like the DMV is doing little or nothing to correct this. If the DMV cannot do its job and more help is needed, I am looking for a job and have a few ideas that will clear up this mess within a year.

Gil Cooperman

North Hollywood

Dear Reader:

Congratulations on your mathematical prowess--your calculations aren’t far from the mark, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Naturally, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how many cars in California are unregistered, “because, well, they’re unregistered,” says Bill Madison, DMV spokesman. The guesstimate is 1% to 2% of total registered vehicles (26 million) in California, or about 250,000 to 500,000.

Translate this into lost revenue, with average registration and licensing fees of $138 per vehicle, and “you’re looking easily at a little over $35 million to $70 million,” Madison says.

Yes, it’s a huge chunk of change, but the DMV does not have resources it can devote exclusively to catching scofflaws, and relies heavily on the California Highway Patrol and local law enforcement agencies to help out. The department also calls on the services of the state Franchise Tax Board, which can go so far as to garnish the wages of people who ignore repeated reminders to renew their registrations.

As for your offer to help, it would no doubt be appreciated, but it would probably have to be on a volunteer basis, given the DMV’s limited budget.

Street Smart appears Mondays in The Times Valley Edition. Readers are invited to submit comments and questions about traffic, commuting and what makes it difficult to get around the Valley. Include simple sketches if helpful. Please write to Street Smart, Los Angeles Times, 14394 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, Calif. 91423. Include your full name, address and day and evening phone numbers. Letters may be edited, and no anonymous letters will be accepted. To record your comments, call (818) 772-3303. Send fax letters to (818) 382-6651.