Prague police presented on 29 September 2026 a mobile noise meter for measuring the noise of stationary vehicles. The device is meant to help detect exhaust systems of single-track and two-track vehicles that do not correspond to the data set by the manufacturer [1]. The device cost the city 260,400 crowns (excluding VAT) [3].
According to Petr Matějček, head of Prague police, officers will use the noise meter during routine checks in Prague and especially at gatherings of sports and tuned vehicles [1][3]. According to the police, owners whose louder exhaust corresponds to the manufacturer's specification or an approved modification need not fear the checks [1]. The City Hall states that the device has been calibrated by a laboratory accredited and designated by the Ministry of Transport [1].
The first live measurements took place in mid-September 2026 at a gathering in Štěrboholy, where officers together with City Hall staff checked several dozen vehicles and found unlawful modifications in nine cases [1][2]. On the basis of the measurement result the police may prohibit the vehicle from continuing to drive [2]. About twenty officers have been trained to operate it and training is to continue [1]. Prague took inspiration for the device from the Olomouc Region [2].
Deputy Mayor Jaromír Beránek said that Prague could in future acquire one or two more noise meters; the City Hall is also preparing a device for detecting modified e-bikes [2].
Chronology
- — Prague traffic police began using the first mobile noise meter to detect illegally modified exhausts. iDNES.cz Blesk.cz
Sources
- iDNES.cz — 29 September 2026
- Blesk.cz — 29 September 2026
- Pražský deník — 29 September 2026