Kevin Hart’s Barracuda Crash Could Prompt Changes in California Law
Comedian’s car crash could make restoring/owning classic cars even more expensive than it already is in California.
In recent years, the state of California has seemingly put the clamps down on its rampant car enthusiast community. First, they imposed stricter emissions laws that forced many aftermarket companies to stop selling their wares in the state altogether. Most recently, a revised exhaust noise law has essentially rendered countless cars illegal. In many cases, costing their owners up to $1,000 in fines. And now, uber-famous comedian/actor Kevin Hart and his highly publicized Barracuda crash might prompt yet another law change that makes our beloved hobby harder to enjoy for Cali residents.
According to TMZ, Hart’s Hellcat-powered ‘Cuda will be stripped down to the last bolt and examined by the California Highway Patrol. Which is standard procedure in the state following major or fatal accidents to help determine what caused them. Of course, accidents don’t get more highly publicized than ones involving Kevin Hart and high-dollar muscle cars. But still, no biggie, right? Well, TMZ goes on to say that their sources within law enforcement may use this particular accident to change current legislation revolving around classic cars.
RIDE ALONG: Auto enthusiast Kevin Hart shows off another enviable ride–this one a Ferrari he got for his birthday–on Instagram.
More specifically, California could require car customizers and restorers to install safety harnesses in cars that don’t have them. Even if the cars were built when harnesses weren’t required. That was the case with Hart’s 1970 model ‘Cuda. His particular car was equipped with seat belts, of course. But TMZ‘s CHP source believes that a full safety harness would have minimized or prevented the back injuries suffered by Hart and the car’s driver.
And that isn’t all. CHP also wants to ensure that the ‘Cuda was restored properly. This is an issue they’ve attempted to legislate in the past in an effort to force inspection upon cars that might have been unsafely restored. Add this to the existing pile of laws including those affecting unlicensed vehicle dismantling, which caused an uproar among enthusiasts recently, and things just keep getting worse for car nuts.
It might not sound like much. But requiring specific kinds of safety harnesses in older cars will only make building or restoring them even more expensive. We’re all for safety, of course. But this potential legislation could also force people to modify their priceless original artifacts as well. According to TMZ, CHP’s dismantling and inspection process takes roughly three weeks, so we should at least know something soon.
Photos: Instagram/KevinHart4Real
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