North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed a bill last week banning the 'Carolina Squat', a popular truck and SUV modification.
The 'Carolina Squat', also knows as the 'Southern Squat,' 'Tennessee Title,' or the 'California Lean', is a trend where pickup truck or SUV owners alter their vehicle to have the front raised and the rear lowered.
But this 'squatted' look is considered dangerous as it obstructs the driver's view of the road and blinds oncoming traffic due to the tilted angle of the body of the vehicle.
The modification can also affect the vehicle's brakes and make the vehicle more likely to flip during a collision. Both lawmakers and mechanics agreed that the modification is unsafe.
The bill was passed by North Carolina legislature in June and ratified on August 25.
The 'Carolina Squat is a trend where car owners alter their vehicle to have the front raised and the rear lowered
The bill will go into effect on December 1 when drivers could potentially have their license revoked for driving 'squatted' vehicles
The new law will prohibit vehicles that are have altered 'the suspension, frame, or chassis' to make 'the height of the front fender is 4 or more inches greater than the height of the rear fender.'
The ratified bill clearly states that 'the height of the fender shall be vertical from and perpendicular to the ground through the centerline of the wheel, and to the bottom of the fender.'
The move to ban the alteration was led by a Change.org petition that has gathered 71,376 signatures in 11 months. The petition has continued to collect names despite the modification being outlawed last week.
The petition, which was started by Rick T., claims that the modification is a danger out on the road because the 'squatted' vehicles blind oncoming traffic due to the titled headlights.
It also insist that the modification makes it easier for the vehicle to flip when hit from the side and throws off the steering balance.
The push for Gov. Cooper to outlaw the vehicle modification came from an online petition signed by over 70,000 people
Summer Sumrell of New Bern, North Carolina signed the petition writing, 'I’m signing because it impossible to see with the head light beaming into my back up mirror! I don’t understand how they could possibly see who or what is in front of them with the front of the vehicle so high up!'
Richard Tucker of Cove City, North Carolina boldly explained 'I’m signing this because not only is it dangerous to other drivers and it blinds people but it looks stupid something needs to be done about this.'
Some people who signed the petition had been personal stories of the danger of these modified vehicles.
Zak Brinkhoff of Salt Lake City said that he opposed the 'Carolina Squat' because his friend was rear-ended by a 'squatted' vehicle.
Unfortunately, Whitney Howell, Samantha Priest, and Kathy Sessions all from, South Carolina lost someone in a collision with a modified vehicle.
Starting on December 1, North Carolina drivers found on the road with the illegal modification will be in jeopardy of having their license revoked for one year.
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