Boom car owners not only disturb the peace, they have also been closely linked to other crimes, as well. As noise and crime infiltrate business parking lots and residential neighborhoods, the law-abiding citizens will seek safer and quieter locales. In addition, a property owner has to disclose any noise problems when selling a home.

Imagine this - you are a real estate agent trying to sell a home to a prospective buyer. You have just told this buyer that the neighborhood is peaceful, quiet, and suitable for young children. At that moment, a boom car whizzes by, belching out LOUD, profane lyrics, as well as the booming bass. What does that do to property values?

The 1999 report from the Census Bureau, titled AMERICAN HOUSING SURVEY FOR THE UNITED STATES, stated that noise is America's number one complaint about their neighborhoods. It is also the main reason for wanting to move to another location. Noise levels have increased 6 fold in major U.S. cities in the last 15 years. Automobiles are the largest source of noise.

In the Quiet Communities Act of 2003, preamble to H.R. 475, it is noted: "For millions of Americans, noise from aircraft, vehicular traffic, and a variety of other sources is a constant source of torment. Millions of Americans are exposed to noise levels that can lead to sleep loss, psychological and physiological damage, and work disruption."

The EPA calculates that 138 million Americans live in areas with dangerously high noise levels. If citizens are unhappy, they will leave a city, thereby causing problems with businesses, revenue, taxes, property values, crime, and lack of tourism. When the good citizens of a city start leaving, the bad element is left to thrive. And thrive they will!

Our neighborhood has really gone downhill since the arrival of boom cars, and their associated bad behaviors. In 2001, we conducted a local online forum to discuss this serious issue for Savannah, GA. This was a message we posted regarding our experiences:

"Boy, I can really identify with the earlier post, in which the author talks about noisy neighbors! In my experience with boom car owners, I have seen them exhibit other behaviors aside from just the inconsiderate booming music and bass. This is just a FEW of the examples of what I have seen from our boom car neighbors and boom car drivers on the street - in the daylight hours - openly using drugs, urinating in the street, cursing everyone that passed by their car, using profane hand gestures to other drivers, speeding, reckless driving, underage drinking AND driving under the influence, vandalism, littering, destruction of property, and retaliation. Have you ever noticed that bad habits usually lead to other bad habits? I think that's what happens when you don't respect the law, don't respect yourself, and don't respect your fellow human beings!"

A member named Reedie, who resides in Savannah, posted one of the responses we received on 6/16/2001:

"You must live in my neighborhood! I have witnessed drivers of boom boxes using them to alert the drug buyers and sellers. They would stop at the end of a street, sit there in their cars with their boom boxes and wait for the clients (plus going across the street to urinate on a neighbor's yard)! The clients come out and gather around the car (these are always young males). It doesn't happen as much on my street as the police are more evident now.
I know of one house that was closed down a few months ago where dealing (and buying) was going on. There was always a crowd in and out of that house all hours of the day and night. There were gunshots fired and you could hear them go off. Also there is another house under surveilance. Just recently, I heard gun shots go off in that vicinity also. The word may be getting around, as it isn't as bad as it has been.
We have our share of break-ins and for those who work during the day, they seem to be hit the hardest. Everyone is afraid to go off on a vacation and leave their house unattended. Cars have been broken into and property stolen. The trouble is that it happens in just minutes before you can even have time to call the police. I believe that unmarked cars would be very instrumental in cutting down on crime. I have noted marked cars patrolling my area and maybe there are some unmarked ones too that I'm not aware of."