Police in Irvine, Calif. say modified exhaust citations have increased substantially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The citations are up a lot,” Irvine police Sgt. Karie Davies told The Epoch Times. “Pre-pandemic, it was about 100 [per year]. And right now we’re at about 400 since the pandemic. “[Police] continue to focus enforcement efforts to curb this issue. Additionally, we put forth the same education and enforcement on street racing and intersection takeovers.” The department mainly utilizes social media to educate the public about modified exhausts. Modified vehicle exhausts that are excessively loud could cause noise pollution that disturbs the public’s quality of life, Davies said. Vehicle exhausts are required to comply with state regulations; vehicles weighing less than 6,000 pounds—excluding motorcycles—cannot produce a sound greater than 95 A-level decibels, about the amount of noise a running motorcycle makes. “The fine is usually just a fix-it-ticket,” said Davies, who added reverting the …