BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2245|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2245
Author: Hill (D)
Amended: 4/21/10 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANS. & HOUSING COMMITTEE : 5-3, 0 6/15/10
AYES: Lowenthal, DeSaulnier, Kehoe, Pavley, Simitian
NOES: Huff, Ashburn, Harman
NO VOTE RECORDED: Oropeza
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 48-26, 5/13/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Vehicles: aftermarket horns
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill prohibits a vehicle from being
equipped with an aftermarket horn that emits a sound
greater than 110 decibels.
ANALYSIS : Existing law requires that a motor vehicle
must have a horn in good working order and capable of
emitting sound audible at 200 feet in order to operate
legally on the streets and highways in this state. A
vehicle horn may not, however, emit an unreasonably loud or
harsh sound.
This bill prohibits a vehicle from being equipped with an
CONTINUED
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aftermarket horn that emits a sound greater than 110
decibels [dB(A)].
Comments
In response to complaints about what was thought to be
excessive train noise in the San Mateo County district, the
author's office reports that the has been working with the
Unite States Department of Transportation's Federal
Railroad Administration (FRA), local governments,
constituents, and the railroad industry. FRA recently
conducted a study on freight train horns in the cities of
South San Francisco, Burlingame, and San Mateo at their
request. The study concluded that the train horns are
sounding within the legally prescribed decibel limit at
each grade separation. However, FRA staff informed the
author that aftermarket car horns had been identified as a
possible factor leading to these complaints. Aftermarket
car horns are currently available to consumers and can
produce decibel levels that far exceed 110 dB(A) - the
sound limit that currently applies to locomotives. These
car horns also imitate train horns and can be confusing and
dangerous to drivers and pedestrians. This bill would still
allow for the sale of these aftermarket products as long as
they meet the 110 dB(A) standard.
The current standard for noise from a car horn is that it
may not be
unreasonably loud or harsh.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The author's office state that
aftermarket car horns can emit decibel levels of over 170
and are marketed in a way that is clearly not for the
benefit of public health or safety. The author's office
notes that one of the producers of these products even has
a YouTube video on their website titled, "Scaring People
with A Train Horn" that shows a car equipped with one of
these devices driving around scaring pedestrians and
drivers. Because existing law limits train horns to 110
decibels and because the average vehicle horn is about 110
decibels, that author's office asserts that it is
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appropriate to set a limit for car horns at that level, the
author's office further note that these products could
still be sold as this bill simply prohibits a vehicle from
being equipped with a horn that emits a sound in excess of
110 decibels.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Ammiano, Arambula, Bass, Beall, Blakeslee, Block,
Blumenfield, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Charles
Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De
Leon, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani,
Galgiani, Hall, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman,
Jones, Lieu, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Monning, Nava, V.
Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana,
Solorio, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Yamada,
John A. Perez
NOES: Adams, Anderson, Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill,
Conway, Cook, DeVore, Emmerson, Fletcher, Fuller, Gaines,
Garrick, Gilmore, Harkey, Jeffries, Knight, Logue,
Miller, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, Silva, Smyth, Audra
Strickland, Tran, Villines
NO VOTE RECORDED: Caballero, Hagman, Mendoza, Norby,
Skinner, Vacancy
JJA:do 6/29/2010 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
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