The North Carolina General Assembly announced a law making impersonation of a transportation network company driver a misdemeanor and elevating the offense to a Class H felony when committed alongside another felony. Colorado lawmakers and legal analysts are watching the law as a potential model for strengthening rider-impersonation penalties in the state.
According to North Carolina’s pattern jury instructions, the law aims to curb deceptive behavior that could endanger passengers. To establish that an individual impersonated a transportation network company driver, the state must demonstrate that the person made false statements, displayed fake company logos or signage, or claimed to be responding to a ride request. The instructions also specify an additional penalty if the impersonation occurs during another felony, creating a tiered system that Colorado lawmakers might consider for similar rider-safety regulations.
North Carolina’s sentencing grid specifies clear consequences for a Class 2 misdemeanor. Penalties range from a $1,000 fine and 1–30 days of confinement for first-time offenders, extending up to 1–60 days for individuals with five or more prior convictions. The grid adjusts whether the time is community service, intermediate, or active jail time based on past convictions. This structured approach provides lawmakers with a predictable method to enforce rideshare-driver impersonation laws.
In contrast, Colorado’s current guidance for Class 2 misdemeanors sets a maximum of 120 days in jail and up to $750 in fines, with a 24-month cap for consecutive county-jail sentences in a single case. Compared with North Carolina’s law—which includes both an impersonation offense and felony escalation—Colorado could adopt this approach as a model to strengthen penalties for fake rideshare drivers without overhauling its existing misdemeanor framework.
The North Carolina General Assembly serves as the state’s legislative body and evolved from the colonial-era legislature under British rule before being reshaped by state constitutional changes after independence. According to NCpedia, the North Carolina Constitution of 1776 established a bicameral assembly, while the Constitution of 1835 set modern chamber sizes at 50 senators and 120 House members.
