Who says Virginia’s polarized legislature can’t get anything done? Governor Glenn Youngkin has signed a bill banning the vehicle modification known as “Carolina Squat.” The law was inspired by the death of Virginian BJ Upton in a car accident involving such a vehicle.
The modification raises the front of the vehicle significantly higher than the rear, affecting its handling. Headlights are pointed to the sky rather than illuminating the road ahead, the driver’s view is compromised, and the modification alters the dispersion of mechanical force in a collision.
The Carolina Squat apparently is Redneck America’s answer to Mexican-American lowriders, which California made illegal in 1957 for similar reasons: the configuration altered handling characteristics. But the Carolina Squat looks far more dangerous than lowriders. The Governor’s press release touting the signing of the bill didn’t detail the causes of the accident that killed Upton, but it’s a good bet that driver visibility was an issue.
As I’ve always said, there are no limits to human stupidity.
The Carolina Squat is a moronic idea. If it weren’t for the fact that the drivers of these vehicles put others in harm’s way, I’d say, let Darwin’s law of natural selection play itself out. But, as the Upton tragedy demonstrated, stupid truck tricks can have terrible consequences.
So nice to know that the General Assembly can get something done.
— JAB
