The Alabama House of Representatives has passed a bill that would ban “squat trucks,” any passenger car or truck modified so that the front fender is raised more than four inches higher than the rear fender, on public roads.

Rep. Ron Bolton, R-Northport, said he received complaints from law enforcement and others about the dangers posed by jacked-up vehicles because drivers have difficulty seeing over the raised front.

“Specifically, what we were having the complaint about, somebody nearly got run over in a parking lot because the person couldn’t see them,” said Bolton, who is a retired captain with the Northport Police Department.

“And some of the trucks we were seeing were getting as high as 13, 15, 20 inches higher in the front.”

Virginia passed a ban just weeks after the 2022 death of a man who was killed when a squatted truck reportedly veered over the line and struck his vehicle while coming over a hill.

Bolton said the bill was similar to the Virginia law and one in South Carolina and Virginia. He said Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi also restrict squat trucks.

Besides the limits on the driver’s visibility, Bolton said the raised angle of the headlights can make it difficult for oncoming drivers to see.

Offenses would be an equipment violation. The bill calls for a fine of $50 for a first violation, $100 for a second violation, and $250 for a third. The offense would be an equipment violation and would not count as points on a driver’s record.

“A lot of these trucks are adjustable,” Bolton said. “The only thing we’re asking is when they’re on the road that they’ve got them down.

“If they’re going to a show or something, they get off the road when they’re doing the show, take them back up to whatever they want to.”

The House passed the bill 94-3. It moves to the Senate.

Alabama and national politics.