A law prohibiting certain modifications of vehicles known as the “Carolina Squat,” or the “Carolina Lean,” took effect Wednesday. PRE’s Meredith Radford has more.
The Carolina Squat is generally known as a truck or SUV with a lift on the front axle and a non-lifted or lowered rear. Last year, a Change.org petition to the North Carolina House of Representatives was started, asking to make these modifications illegal. It now has over 70,000 signatures. A petition to keep the Carolina Squat legal was started at around the same time and has almost 25,000 signatures.
House Bill 692, which was signed into law by NC Gov. Roy Cooper in August prohibits passenger vehicles on public roads and highways that were modified so that the height of the front fender is four or more inches greater than the height of the rear fender.
If someone is convicted of operating these modified vehicles three or more times within 12 months, they could lose their license for at least a year.
For Public Radio East, I’m Meredith Radford