Port Louis:Guidelines have been provided to police officers enforcing the new legislation on modified exhaust systems and noise emissions from motor vehicles to clearly distinguish between decorative tailpipe accessories and alterations to silencers resulting in increased noise levels.
According to Government of Mauritius, the guidelines were outlined by the Minister of Land Transport, Mr. Osman Mahomed, who chaired a meeting at his office in Port Louis with officials of the Ministry and representatives of the Police Force to discuss the implementation of the relevant provisions of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2026.
The guidelines follow representations received by the Ministry of Land and Transport from motorists claiming to have been issued Fixed Penalty Notices for accessories meant to improve the look of their vehicles without increasing exhaust noise. The Minister emphasized that decorative tailpipe accessories, including chrome-plated or stainless-steel (inox) extensions, do not constitute an offence in themselves and enforcement action must be directed at vehicles whose silencers have been modified in a way that results in increased exhaust noise.
Mr. Mahomed reaffirmed the Ministry's commitment to taking appropriate action against excessively noisy vehicles and other breaches of road traffic legislation. He also stressed that the offence must be correctly established before a penalty is imposed. The provisions of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2006 came into operation on 30 September 2026. Under the amended legislation, a Fixed Penalty Notice of Rs 10,000 may be issued when two conditions are met the vehicle's silencer (muffler) has been modified, and as a result of that modification, a higher noise level is being emitted by the vehicle.
These amendments have been introduced to enable enforcement agencies to take action against users of vehicles emitting excessive noise, and police officers will no longer have to measure the actual noise emission level.
