Bull-bars kill, so why are they still up front?

NOW that many European countries have banned bull-bars, and car manufactures have voluntarily stopped fitting them, isn’t it time that the Government banned them here?

These metal grills fixed to the front of vehicles may be useful in the Savannah or the Bush, but here in Ireland they serve no useful purpose, other than as an infantile demonstration of the owner’s machismo and a symbol of aggression to other road-users.

If a vehicle armed with these hideous ‘weapons’ hits a person even at very low speeds the injuries are much more serious and, at higher speeds, almost certainly fatal. This has been documented in several accidents in the UK, where serious injuries and fatalities resulted which could have been avoided.

The fronts of modern vehicles are designed to be ‘pedestrian friendly,’ with a crumple zone to reduce the force of impact and to throw the victim upwards rather than under the vehicle, as bull-bars tend to do.

They also cause serous injuries with their sharp edges, as well as unnecessary damage to other vehicles.

Because bull-bars protrude in front of the vehicle they deny the protection bumpers afford in minor parking accidents, smashing lights and denting wings. In a serous collision, far from protecting the occupant, they make matters worse by transmitting the impact onto the chassis. Neither the Government, the National Safety Council nor the gardaí seem concerned.

Michael Job

Rossnagrena

Glengarriff

Co Cork