NPR: 'Carolina Squat' vehicles are now illegal on North Carolina roads

[HonorAndHonesty]

The trailer "bumper" rule dates back over 50 years. I believe the rule required retrofitting, but I could be wrong. As a kid, I just don't remember seeing any semi trailers without one in the 1970s.

When the famous chase scene in The Seven-Ups was filmed in around 1973 the ended with a Pontiac Ventura rear-ending a semi trailer and shearing off most of the roof, the underrider had been removed to film the crash.

They were mandated after the death of actress Jane Mansfield in a collision where the car went under the semi trailer. I have still heard them referred to "Mansfield Bars" by some people.

Remember when Ford put a bar under the bumper of the superdutys back in the early 00's because the front bumper was too high to meet federal requirements.

 

[Thermo1223]

View attachment 80123

Try again.

That is why these are mandatory now and have been for a while.

 

[BLND1]

That is why these are mandatory now and have been for a while.

And completely mediocre.

 

[mk378]

I don't think that a manufacturer's design has to be qualified by a crash test. Even if they did leave the factory solid they often are damaged by backing into an obstacle then poorly repaired.

 

[PF52]

And completely mediocre.

The same could be said about the bumpers on every vehicle on the road.

 

[supton]

The same could be said about the bumpers on every vehicle on the road.

Not sure I agree--most car crashes have people walking away from them (assuming they wore their belts, excessive speed was avoided and the car didn't "fly off" a road and rolled). I'd say they do their job of dissipating energy and protecting occupants.

 

[PF52]

Not sure I agree--most car crashes have people walking away from them (assuming they wore their belts, excessive speed was avoided and the car didn't "fly off" a road and rolled). I'd say they do their job of dissipating energy and protecting occupants.

That's why I said "could be". On the one hand, crumple zones protect the driver but on the other there are those who complain the slightest bump necessitates replacement of the bumper cover or energy absorber. People complain either way.

 

[supton]

That's why I said "could be". On the one hand, crumple zones protect the driver but on the other there are those who complain the slightest bump necessitates replacement of the bumper cover or energy absorber. People complain either way.

Fair enough. Depends on design goal, right?

I recall reading that the Mansfield bars have been of dubious value for years now, but I'm guessing they did serve a purpose in their day? Not sure if they fail to do so today because of increased vehicle speed or some other factor. Perhaps they do need an update.

Makes me wonder: commercial vehicles operate under different standards, right? I'm not sure if they can grandfather everything as a result--they could mandate better OTR bumpers by such and such a date. They don't because of cost and outcry--but it's not the same thing as mandating changes for regular old passenger cars, I don't think.

 

[SubLGT]

I recall reading that the Mansfield bars have been of dubious value for years now, but I'm guessing they did serve a purpose in their day? Not sure if they fail to do so today because of increased vehicle speed or some other factor. Perhaps they do need an update.

Automatic Emergency Braking is already available on passenger vehicles and will prevent rear-ending a truck trailer. It will become more widespread in the near future.

Infrastructure bill mandates automatic emergency braking in all passenger vehicles

All passenger vehicles and large trucks sold in the U.S. would have to be equipped with passive emergency braking systems under a provision of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill now under consider…

www.repairerdrivennews.com

The bill requires the the Secretary of Transportation to make a rule establishing minimum performance standards for such anti-crash technology, and to require all passenger cars and large trucks to be sold with systems that alert the driver if a crash is imminent, and automatically apply the brakes if the driver fails to do so.

IIHS reported in December that 10 automakers have fulfilled a voluntary commitment to equip nearly all the new light vehicles they produce for the U.S. market with automatic emergency braking (AEB), ahead of the 2022-23 target set in the agreement brokered by IIHS and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration in 2015.

 

[BLND1]

Automatic Emergency Braking is already available on passenger vehicles and will prevent rear-ending a truck trailer. It will become more widespread in the near future.

Infrastructure bill mandates automatic emergency braking in all passenger vehicles

All passenger vehicles and large trucks sold in the U.S. would have to be equipped with passive emergency braking systems under a provision of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill now under consider…

www.repairerdrivennews.com

If that eliminates safety issues with Mansfield bars then wouldn’t it also eliminate issues with these types of modified vehicles as well???

Why do they get singled out?

 

[spasm3]

If that eliminates safety issues with Mansfield bars then wouldn’t it also eliminate issues with these types of modified vehicles as well???

Why do they get singled out?

Because with the angle of the front bumpers, the squatted trucks will activate emergency braking only/ and every time a cessna or piper cub flies over head. It would not sense the cars in front.

 

[BLND1]

Because with the angle of the front bumpers, the squatted trucks will activate emergency braking only/ and every time a cessna or piper cub flies over head. It would not sense the cars in front.

We’re saved!

 

[supton]

I wonder if the braking system sees the license plate best? That's a horizontal surface and i believe it's reflective (?).

Was driving the other weekend, had radar cruise on, and it was annoying me that it would follow at 5+ car lengths. Fine. At some point I had a car cut in at about 2 car lengths and the radar didn't seem to notice. ? That car had a bike rack with a couple of bikes on it, makes me wonder if my car "saw" him--or not.

Not sure I'd trust this tech just yet. Lots of promises, and more ways to break than human negligence.

 

[sk_pete]

first 10 seconds

 

[Thermo1223]

And completely mediocre.

That's your opinion, they can't account for the idiot not paying attention to stopped traffic going 65MPH. However mild crashes they do the deed just fine.

 

[bunnspecial]

Because with the angle of the front bumpers, the squatted trucks will activate emergency braking only/ and every time a cessna or piper cub flies over head. It would not sense the cars in front.

For that matter, I'm going to guess that these adaptive cruise systems are designed to operate at the stock ride height.

Even with a "regular" lifted truck, we already know most owners don't bother to re-aim the headlights. I'm reminded of this now that it gets dark at 4:30 at it's rare I make a trip home from work where I don't get blinded at least once by 6"+ lifted truck glaring their incorrectly aimed HID/LED headlights into my rearview(and for whatever reason the auto-dimming feature either not working correctly with them or it just not dimming enough to counteract this).

If a truck is lifted at the front by several inches or more, do we know the front sensors that are involved in things like adaptive cruise and braking will work correctly(or need to be re-aimed)? I'm GUESSING that these probably use bumper/front end sensors not unlike the back-up warning ones in my rear bumper, although I also know newer cars have cameras and other sophisticated systems involved that work into this.

Still, though, if someone can't bother to reaim their headlights after adjusting the ride height, whether it's a "flat" adjustment or worse a squat, why do we think they would adjust the other systems?

For the record too, here's my general though on car modifications-there are a lot that in my personal opinion look stupid, like a park bench on the back of a front wheel drive economy car(haven't seen one in a while) but ultimately don't hurt anything. When you start modifying in such a way that it directly impacts my driving, such as glaring your headlights right into my mirrors or changing your suspension such that your handling is unpredictable or even unsafe and you can't make evasive maneuvers, I do care about it. BTW, the handling thing doesn't just apply to lifts or squats on trucks, or to 80s boxes riding on 24" wheels that have to be raised a foot so that the wheels fit, but also the other extreme where a car gets slammed and then the camber adjusted extreme enough that you only have 2" of tire contacting the pavement...

 

[Spyderman24_7]

Not in this area either. Is it a "Southern" thing?

I live in central NC and yeah it's quite 'popular' here. In the development I live in there have been THREE parked at one home. 1 being a truck and the other 2 were SUVs. Driving around in town as well as 40/85 that is close by I see them often. Some of these douches do indeed ride bumpers in an effort to force others out of 'their' way. See that quite often as well and have had a few behind me trying to do just that. Doesn't phase me though and I have flipped a few off. Likely couldn't see me doing that for the jacked hood, etc.

 

[spasm3]

For the record too, here's my general though on car modifications-there are a lot that in my personal opinion look stupid, like a park bench on the back of a front wheel drive economy car(haven't seen one in a while) but ultimately don't hurt anything. When you start modifying in such a way that it directly impacts my driving, such as glaring your headlights right into my mirrors or changing your suspension such that your handling is unpredictable or even unsafe and you can't make evasive maneuvers, I do care about it. BTW, the handling thing doesn't just apply to lifts or squats on trucks, or to 80s boxes riding on 24" wheels that have to be raised a foot so that the wheels fit, but also the other extreme where a car gets slammed and then the camber adjusted extreme enough that you only have 2" of tire contacting the pavement...

I agree. In fact i defend your ability to do what you want with your vehicle irrespective of whether looks silly or not, to each his own. Keep the gov out of our everyday lives. Unless its a safety issue for others.

 

[nthach]

In the case of an accident, un-leash the criminal lawyers. Owners of such vehicles have now become lawyer bait. They’ll be losing a lot more than just their vehicles.

Wanna drive a car with the Carolina lean(or A-1 Lean, which originated in Oakland, CA), or a lift, you need to carry $1 million in liability insurance IMO.