Committee weighs pilot program for automated vehicle noise enforcement cameras; privacy advocates raise concerns

The Senate Transportation Committee held a public hearing March 31 on Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1423, which would authorize a pilot program, overseen by the Traffic Safety Commission, allowing cities with populations of at least 2,000 to use automated vehicle noise enforcement cameras in locally designated vehicle racing enforcement zones between Jan. 1, 2026, and July 1, 2028.

Staff explained the bill would permit cameras to detect violations of maximum permissible vehicle noise levels set by the Department of Ecology or equivalent local ordinances and would limit recordings to audio of the vehicle immediately before, during and after a violation. The Traffic Safety Commission would report to the Legislature in 2028 on deployment, locations, demographics and violations. Brandon Popovac said the fiscal impact to the Traffic Safety Commission is…