Sounding off about noise detectors
A man who objected to a 100-yuan (US$14.8) fine for honking his horn in a prohibited area has filed a lawsuit to cancel the punishment, the Shanghai No.1 Intermediate People's Court heard on Wednesday.
It is the first civil case to test police noise detection equipment.
According to the court, on May 12 last year the man was waiting for the green light at a crossroads when he received an SMS from traffic police about his illegal honking and his plate number was shown on an electronic display.
He said had not sounded his horn and sent several emails to the police who claimed the information provided by their devices is sufficient evidence.
During the hearing, the man said he worked in automobile sound source localization and doubted the accuracy of the system.
Traffic police said the sound in question was accurately located in the center of his car's engine hood.
Regulations prohibit the sounding of a car horn inside the outer ring and some other areas. The detection system has been in place in Shanghai since 2016.