Bull bars
When a bull bar is fitted to a vehicle it can be dangerous to pedestrians and can adversely affect the safety of the vehicle.
Do you really need to fit a bull bar?
In a crash, a bull bar fitted to a passenger vehicle may result in more severe injuries to pedestrians. Research has shown that a vehicle fitted with a bull bar can cause death of a pedestrian at half the speed of a vehicle without a bull bar.
Market research conducted on our behalf suggests that many people fit bull bars to vehicles to either:
- improve the safety of their vehicle in a crash
- enhance the look of their vehicle.
We do not believe these are valid reasons for fitting a bull bar and strongly recommend not fitting one if this is why you want to install one.
A pedestrian can usually survive a collision with a vehicle travelling at, or below 60 km/h. However, if the car is fitted with a bull bar, the speed at which the pedestrian will survive is only 30 km/h. In other words, by fitting a bull bar to a vehicle, the pedestrian survival factor is reduced by 50 per cent.
The high contact point of a bull bar increases the risk of spinal, pelvic and head injuries.
Bull bars in rural areas
In rural areas, bull bars are used to protect vehicles in a collision with an animal (e.g. a kangaroo) or trees. A bull bar protects the cooling system of the vehicle and reduces the chances of a driver and any passengers being stranded.
It also protects the vehicle from scrub and bushes when driven off-road or on overgrown tracks. A bull bar can be used with winches to recover other vehicles, animals or equipment.
We recommend only fitting a bull bar if the majority of your driving is in a rural area where colliding with an animal is likely or you intend on driving off-road frequently.
If you want to fit a bull bar
If you want to fit a bull bar for either a new or used car, the following information will help you ensure that it:
- meets the design requirements of the Australian Standard ( Sections 1,2, and 3.1 of the Australian Standard AS 4876.1 2002)
- complies with Department of Transport and Planning regulations which can be found in vehicle standards information 1 - bull bars
To comply fully, bull bars must meet both the Australian Standard and the Department of Transport and Planning regulations.
A bull bar that complies with the Australian Standard, generally follows the shape of the vehicle to which it is fitted, and does not have forward facing protrusions or sharp edges.
How a non-compliant bull bar can affect the safety of you and your passengers
Airbags may not work properly
Vehicle manufacturers conduct considerable research to ensure airbags will inflate properly to protect the vehicle’s occupants.
If a bull bar is fitted to the vehicle, the secondary restraint system, such as an airbag, may not inflate correctly in a crash, and cause additional injuries to its occupants.
Crumple zones may not protect you either
The front structure and panels of a vehicle are intended to crumple in a collision to minimise the likelihood of injury to its occupants.
However, a bull bar may reduce the effectiveness of crumple zones and collapsible steering columns.
Side impact crashes are more serious
Occupants of a vehicle hit, in a side impact collision, by a vehicle fitted with a bull bar, are more likely to be seriously injured.
Also the forces exerted by the vehicle with a bull bar, particularly a 4WD, will impact higher up the other vehicle, and closer to the chests and heads of its occupants.
The car headlights can be obscured
The bull bar or fittings should not obscure the headlights, parking lights, turning indicators or any other lights on the vehicle.
You may not see as much as you should
The bull bar shouldn't obstruct the vision of the driver. It also shouldn't project further beyond the front of the vehicle than is necessary.
When sitting in the driver’s seat, in the rearmost position, the driver must be able to see, either the surface of the road 11 metres in front of the front of the vehicle, or the front edge of the vehicle, when looking across the top of the bull bar.
Dangerous edges and corners
In a crash, pointed corners and sharp edges of a bull bar can be dangerous to other road users. They increase the risk of injury to a person, or damage to another vehicle.
Some bull bars can be safer
A newer style of bull bar such as the nudge bar, and those made of advanced polymers, are typically smaller, use lighter materials and are more compatible with airbags.
We encourages bull bar and vehicle manufacturers to develop bull bars that are compliant with the latest European Standards for Vehicle Frontal Pedestrian Systems.