Spring and early summer in coastal Maine are idyllic. The sounds of life return each year: the bluebirds and thrushes, the orioles and the whippoorwills, and the nightly chorus of the cheerful spring peepers. But there is another form of wildlife that burdens us less joyfully with its sound each spring: the busted muffler.

After hibernating for the winter, these infuriating critters attach themselves to all manner of vehicles, from rusty pickups to tricked-out Honda Civics, even brand-new cars. But their preferred habitat by far is the motorcycle.

The most infuriating aspect is that the riders encourage these intrusive additions, falsely claiming that the excessive noise is necessary for safety reasons. If riders were genuinely concerned about safety, they would not be so universally opposed to wearing crash helmets. In fact, the noise can create additional danger: Who hasn’t been startled out of their wits while driving by the sudden explosion of sound just behind one’s left ear?

In recognizing both the public nuisance and increased dangers created by this juvenile love of making loud noises, the state amended Title 29-A, Section 1912 in 2011, making modified mufflers illegal. The law has never been enforced, and it is time it was.

What’s the point of a law to improve people’s lives if it is ignored the second it’s passed? If what is morally right won’t convince the skeptics, perhaps the considerable revenue stream created by a couple of checkpoints on a July Sunday morning might.

Colin Lewis
Biddeford