Honestly, they are right. Sucks to suck, but if your breaks were failing, or your tires were bald / showing wire, you shouldn’t drive the car untill you fix it. Even if you don’t have the money to do so. You endanger the people around you
Loud noises can startle people, some zones are marked as “no loud sounds” i.e. hospitals and they scare off fauna. Imagine driving through the forrest and spooking an animal that then goes after a guy that is on a walk. Or imagine the same thing in a public park with peoples’ dogs. I had my catalytic converter stolen a few years ago and it caused the nearby parked cars to turn on their alarms when I started it. Then there is obviously hearing loss from loud noises. There is also a risk of the exhaust failing further, detaching and hitting another car.
Honestly it doesn’t surprise me that the guy gets stopped by cops every time. It’s not something that you don’t notice when it drives next to you.
While I do absolutely understand your point (and agree with you) that’s not always going to happen. Some people can’t afford to miss work for example, or would get fired for calling out/being late for the tire. I don’t necessarily blame those particular people as the deeper problem is a society in which we we’re living week to week to get buy and risk losing much if not all if even a portion of that weekly pay doesn’t come in.
Also blame employers that pay diddly and are so quick to fire people. They place profit over human life and that’s no better.
I wouldn’t drive with issues like that, but then again 1: I know cars and work on my own stuff and 2: I can afford to miss a day of work every now and then.
So while I agree and don’t support people driving cars with dangerous issues, I also understand that some people are so desperate that it’s not really an option, also a mechanic isn’t cheap and people don’t much help others nowadays.