Many people think New York is a noisy city. In fact, scientists who study noise say that the average noise level in New York is 72.5 decibels. This is a little louder than normal conversation, which is 65 decibels. The noise level is the result of so many people and cars in the same area. Now even the insides of taxis are noisy. When you get into a taxi, you hear the voice of a well-known singer, sports reporter, or Broadway actress giving instructions. That’s right. The voice of a famous person tells you what to do. One popular singer gives this message:” Cats have nine lives, but you have only one, to fasten your seat beat!” Other voices say things such as “Don’t forget to collect all your belongings.”(People often leave hats, umbrella, and bags in taxis.) There is a good reason for the messages. There are more than 12,000 cabs in New York, and every year taxis get into more than 15,000 accidents. In an accident, people who don’t wear seat belts hit the partition, the glass wall separating the driver and passengers in the taxi. They can hurt their foreheads or break their noses or chins. Every year, about 11,000 people are injured in this way. Many people are annoyed by the voices. Cabdrivers in particular dislike the messages. ”I play the messages 12 hours a day. I hear the same voices 60 times a day. It makes me crazy,” says Atnis, a 45-year-old cabdriver.“But if I don’t play the messages, I get fined 100 dollars.” A lot of passengers complained, too. “It’s too much noise,” says a passenger, “I asked the driver to turn off the message, but he said he can’t.” Other people think the voices are a great idea. One taxi driver says,” People like to hear the famous voices, and they put on their seat belts more often.” And passengers from out of town really like the idea. “Most of the time, taxi drivers are in a bad mood, ”says Melanie Benton, who visits New York often on business, “It‘s nice to hear a cheerful voice when you get into a cab.”