Did some states pass bills that would allow drivers to run over protesters standing in a street? No, that's not true: Several state legislatures did consider measures in 2017 that would have given limited protection to drivers who hit protesting pedestrians if it was accidental, but all of the proposals died in legislative committees.
The story originated from an article published on February 12, 2018 titled "New Bills Allow Drivers to Run Over Protesters if They're Standing in the Street (Yes, For Real)" (archived here) which opened:
Last year, news outlets were buzzing as many people watched a Dodge Ram plowing through protestors in Durham, NC who just so happened to be out there voicing their opinion against the police. As the truck pushed through the wall of people, they protestors would continue to try and get it to stop by pounding on the hood, however, the driver of the 2500 pickup truck would just keep on rolling right on through the people. Obviously, this situation caused a big back-and-forth only to have all of the card fall in favor of the driver of the truck.
Since then, we have actually seen bills passed to take the situation one step further because, as of late, it has become something that's a lot more prevalent than it used to be. As it turns out, according to CNN, bills have been passed in the states of Florida, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and North Dakota so that if you run over a protester who happens to be in the street, you can be released of some of the liability that you would otherwise be held accountable for should you run over just another person in the street.
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New Bills Allow Drivers to Run Over Protesters if They're Standing in the Street (Yes, For Real)
Last year, news outlets were buzzing as many people watched a Dodge Ram plowing through protestors in Durham, NC who just so happened to be out there voicing their opinion against the police. As the truck pushed through the wall of people, they protestors would continue to try and get it to stop by...
Readers of this false reporting should be aware that not only did none of the bills get enacted into law -- contrary to the impression given by the writer -- but even if they did become law it would not give any criminal legal protection to a driver who was proven to have crashed into the protesters on purpose. It would only be limited to drivers who did so by accident.
Even as CNN filed this story on the proposals in August 2017, there was little hope for them.
