Loud Motorcycle Pipes Do Save Lives–Just Ask the Oakland PD
August 19, 2009
I was going to write about motorcycle tailpipes. Instead, I am going to suggest that you check out the San Francisco Chronicle, which carried a story last summer about the Oakland Police Department.
It seems the Oakland PD takes motorcycle safety seriously–so seriously that their Harley-Davidson motorcycles were re-equipped with louder tailpipes.
As an example, the deputy chief of police cited an accident earlier in 2008 in which a motorist hit an officer. The incident had prompted safety concerns. The motorist claimed that he did not hear the officer coming.
The Oakland PD had originally switched to quieter pipes after an officer complained of hearing loss.
After a 2007 study, the department concluded that “it was in the best interest of the officers to put more-audible pipes back on.”
According to the article, the federal sound limit for pipes and such is 80 decibels. The Oakland PD’s new pipes average 93 decibels.
Read the full article on the Oakland PD’s motorcycle tailpipes from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Posted Under: Loud Pipes Save Lives, Motorcycle Products and Accessories, Motorcycle Safety Tags: bike, loud pipes, Loud Pipes Save Lives, Motorcycle, Motorcycle Safety, motorcycle tailpipes
Reader Comments
If you read the article. The 2007 study findings did NOT support the conclusion that louder pipers were safer. The Oakland PD just like them better.
“Kozicki acknowledged that whatever safety-related findings the study produced were largely anecdotal. ”
I do understand that being louder does make a rider ‘feel safer’ but there is no evidence that they are acctually safer. And, the PD can always use thier sirens to make a better more piercing noice anyway.