NORTH CAROLINA - The "Carolina Squat" will soon be no more.
In late August, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed House Bill 692, which prohibits certain modifications to passenger vehicles on public roads and highways. This includes the Carolina Squat, also known as the "Carolina lean."
According to Autoweek, the Carolina Squat is "a truck or SUV with a lift kit on the front axle and an un-lifted or lowered rear end." The outlet says the trend started to emulate off-road racing trucks with a similar design to help land jumps.
HotCars.com says the Carolina Squat's history can be traced back to the Baja racing circuit in California.Critics of the modification say because the front of the truck is pointed toward the sky, the vehicle's headlights are unable to illuminate the road and the driver's view is compromised. They also say it affects the handling of the vehicle.
A Change.org petition asking the North Carolina House of Representatives to ban the modifications has been signed by more than 70,000 people.
If drivers are caught committing three infractions of the new law, they could lose their license for at least a year.
The law goes into effect on December 1.
