Contributed photo
House Bill 692 prohibits vehicles which are modified to have their front fenders 4 inches or higher above their rear fenders, as shown.
ROCKINGHAM — Effective Dec. 1, the Carolina Squat is no more.
The popular truck modification can be recognized on the street as a raised front and a lowered rear, making it appear as if the car is squatting.
In August of this year, the North Carolina General Assembly passed House Bill 692 which prohibited certain modifications to passenger vehicles operating on public roads. Under the new law, any alteration of the suspension, frame or chassis cannot cause the height of the front fender to be four or more inches greater than the height of the rear fender.
A person convicted of three or more violations of this new law may be subject to a year-long license suspension.
Trooper Ray Pierce with the Highway Patrol said violations of the new bill will be enforced, but it’s not something that will be “aggressively” pursued.
“It’s an infraction, kind of like if your tag is expired,” Pierce said.
He added that since the bill’s passing in August, the Highway Patrol has seen a reduction of cars “squatting.” Pierce said that squatting is really county-specific and is more prevalent among young people.
Pierce added that his understanding is that that the bill was more about vehicular safety than any imminent danger directly on the road.
“Anytime you change or modify the manufacturer’s specification, you reduce the safety that is put in place by the manufacturer,” Pierce said.
Nick Murphy, owner of Nick’s 4 x 4 Performance Center in Rockingham, said his shop doesn’t work on any vehicles that would be affected by this legislation, although customers have asked for it in the past. He estimated that squatting is at the height of its popularity right now, though it’s not something that he’s ever considered working on.
Murphy added that they perform some modifications that may include an inch or so of added elevation, but nothing that would affect the safety of the vehicle.
“The four inches — that’s so extreme you can’t see over the dashboard safely to drive,” Murphy said.
Representative Ben Moss and State Senator Tom McInnis both voted in favor of the bill this summer.
“To me, the Carolina Squat bill addressed safety issues, that’s why I supported it — to keep our highways and public safe,” Moss said in a text.
Moss added that he would like to see more done to enforce existing laws against vehicle modifications that make them excessively loud.
“Some of these trucks sound awful,” he said.
McInnis did not respond to a request for comment by press time Thursday.
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Reach Matthew Sasser at 910-817-2671 or [email protected].
