NORTH CAROLINA (WSPA) – Lawmakers in North Carolina House of Representatives passed a bill that could ban a popular vehicle modification.
According to the sponsors of the bill, the Carolina Squat, also known as the Cali Lean or Tennessee Tilt, could pose a safety hazard to drivers.
The ‘Carolina Squat’ is when a truck is lowered or unmodified in the rear and raised at the front. This modification has the ability to block the driver’s view of the road and drivers ahead of them.
According to the bill, “A private 18 passenger automobile shall not be modified or altered by elevating the automobile more than 3 inches from the manufacturer’s specified height in the front and lowering the automobile more than 2 inches from the manufacturer’s specified height in the rear.”
More than 70,000 residents across the state signed a petition demanding representatives to make this modification fully illegal.
Representative Hardister, one of the sponsors of the bill, said he’s seen the dangers of these modifications first hand and he said the goal is to improve the overall safety for other drivers.
“I had a constituent who was in an auto accident that involved a truck that was lifted where the front was higher than the back end. It’s [bill] really just about public safety. I don’t mind if trucks are lifted, but if they’re modified in such a way where the front end is higher then the back end, your view is upward when you need to be able to see the road in front of you,” Rep. Jon Hardister, said.
The bill is now headed to the senate for a vote. If passed it’ll go into effect on December 1st. Violators could get their license suspended for no less than one year.
