The St. Lucia Auto Sound Club says it supports any move by the authorities to curb the problem of noise pollution, which has recently sparked much public discussion.
St. Lucia Times spoke with the Saint Lucia Auto Sound Club (SLASC) Public Relations Officer Valentine Dantes.
He explained that the club has existed for over ten years, and provides auto sound enthusiasts a sense of community.
However, the organisation also aims to bring some form of regulation to the sport.
“We exist to engage our members to learn the craft and understand how to do it safer and better, improve the quality of the sound and at the same time get members to abide by set rules and regulations,” Dantes said.
Last year, the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports took on board the aspect of “alternative sports” with auto sound as one of the aspects, something the club is happy about.
“Universally car audio is a big thing and seen as a sport. In spite of all the regulations in first world countries there are still many car shows where these guys have systems that are ten times, twenty times more expensive than ours,” Dantes explained.
The SLASC stages three main events and competitions annually, the flagship being the independence event “Island Beat,” which attracts participants from Trinidad and Tobago, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Dominica, and Barbados.
“This is a really good sports tourism initiative,” Dantes noted, adding, “We also stage “Sound Warz” in May and “Amplified” in October.”
The funds raised from these events go towards community initiatives, assisting members, and a food and toy drive.
“The biggest event that we have in terms of giving back is the food and toy drive in December. We purchase over ten thousand dollars in food and toys and work with individuals and groups in communities to distribute to those in need. And of course we provide our own sound,” Dantes remarked.
“Having said all of that we do believe that dealing with the issue of noise is a challenge,” he stated.
“We actually do not like it. Most people believe that because we have sound systems we are not regular human beings, but the truth is we don’t like when people pass by our homes after midnight playing loud music. So why should we do it?”
Club members who are violators are reprimanded, barred from subsequent competitions, and lose points, which would disqualify them from receiving awards during their end-of-year party and awards evening.
The SLASC has promised to continue to working with the police using their network to identify defaulters.
The club recently launched a “Be Considerate” campaign using PSAs and videos on social media to encourage people to, among other things, turn down their volume in residential areas.
PHOTO: Courtesy Saint Lucia Auto Sound Club.
