Drivers who boost their trucks, SUVs, and other cars higher in the front than the back may have to change their style when new legislation goes into effect on July 1, 2024.
The appearance, also known as the Tennessee Tilt or the Carolina Squat, is created by raising the front of the car while lowering the back, resulting in a crouching stance. The stance is also known as the California Lean or Cali Lean, which is the origin of the appearance.
According to the new state regulation, the front fender of any vehicle operated on any street, road, or highway cannot be more than 4 inches higher than the rear fender through any methods of modification.
The new rule, which forbids the squat, makes operating a vehicle with Carolina Squat modifications a Class-B misdemeanor. Violators could face a $250 fine for their first violation. Penalties increase with each subsequent infraction, with the third offense within 12 months carrying a $500 fine and a 12-month driver’s license suspension.
North Carolina, a neighboring state, banned the Carolina Squat in 2021 after 75,000 people signed an online petition demanding for it. South Carolina followed suit, passing a bill making it illegal to change a vehicle’s front or back by 6 inches or more, up or down.
The look has caused vision issues for drivers, making it difficult or impossible to see tiny children and road hazards directly in front of the squatting vehicle. Multiple lawsuits have been made against drivers of modified vehicles involved in accidents due to reduced visibility caused by the higher front end.
In 2022, Virginia made the look illegal when a squatting truck crossed the middle line and collided with another vehicle. The family of the guy killed in the collision claims the truck driver was unable to see the incoming vehicle because of the modified front end.
LAW SUMMARY – This law makes it illegal to operate a passenger motor vehicle on any street, road, or highway in this state if the height of the vehicle’s front fender is four inches or greater than the height of the rear fender due to an alteration to the suspension, frame, or chassis.
The height of the fender, as defined in this law, is a vertical measurement taken from and perpendicular to the ground, to the wheel’s centerline, and the bottom of the fender.
This bill states that a violation of the aforementioned prohibition is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by a fine of (i) $250 for the first offense in 12 months; (ii) $500 for the second offense in 12 months; and (iii) $500 and a 12-month revocation of the person’s driver license for the third offense. The clerk of the court of conviction must notify the Department of Safety of a violation within 30 days of being convicted.
