I have recently aquired a frontera a mate was telling he thinks the bull bars are illegal or at least very dangerous to pedestrains ? Is this true -- Cheers Paul [Bluesky Marketing] ............................................... Never Be A Cloud In Anyones Life OFFER 50% Off Gadgets/Lasers/Nodding Dogs ! http://www.blueskymarketing.co.uk/shopaff.asp?affid=12 Then enter - newsgroup - as coupon at checkout to get discount ...........................................................
They are not illegal but they could make you illegal.......have you told your insurance company that they are fitted? If they know about them then okay BUT! the vast majority of insurers will not give cover on them because they interfere with the crumple zone on the front of the car and the design of the frontal area re a hit against a pedestrian with the obvious increase in the level of civil claims. Think about it, would you rather bang your head off a bonnet that will deform or get your head deformed by a 3" stainless steel bar welded rigid? RO
I have recently aquired a frontera All I have heard is that watchdog (or someone like that) reported a few years ago that they were more dangerous to pedestrians, and that they were going to be illegal to add, but were OK if the vehicle already had them. They showed dummies being smited with bull bars, and being more healthy after being hit with a nice friendly bumper and bonnet instead. They also showed a cavalier that looked like it had been shredded after being hit by a bull bar equiped vehicle. I noticed that 4WD manufacturers were fitting softer looking black plastic looking (foam filled like bumpers?) bull bars, but don't know if they are pedestrian friendly. Anyway, I seem to remember, if they are integral to the vehicles chassis, they are ok (they passed crash tests, and pedestrian crash tests to go to market), but added ones are illegal after a certain date. Someone else may be more certain/ specific on this. They are advantageous to you in a collision, but not to others. That is the original intention of them, not the modern cosmetic look. On a side note, I heard that Australians call kangaroos "bongs", because that's the noise they make when you hit them with your bull bars. Bob
It is documented that an impact of less than 8mph, with a bullbar, is enough to cause fatal injury to a child. They may not be illegal, but, IMHO, they should be.
Agreed ... the outback in Australia, and the Plains of Utah aren't abundant in playing children .... these are the only places these bars can be justified, imo steveb ps .... yeah I know about Africa, and the jungles of South America
I heard in a documentary that a motorist with bull bars fitted to their vehicle could be charged with manslaughter, if they are involved in a fatal accident. IMHO, anyone who drives around with these things fitted (without a practical need for them) obviously doesn't care much for their fellow human beings and deserves everything they get.
Not illegal but get rid of them if you can. Disaster for people on foot or bike - if you are a parent, imagine one of your kids cracking a bit of themselves on one ...
malcolm raved thus: :: It is documented that an impact of less than 8mph, with a bullbar, :: is enough to cause fatal injury to a child. They may not be illegal, :: but, IMHO, they should be. They should be taught not to walk out into the road...
Distructive to other cars too. I saw a cavalier that had been shredded by bullbars on Watchdog. The week after the item, British Gas (as they were then) announced on the show they were removing all removable bullbars from their vehicles. Bob
Excuse me for being silly.. If anyone walks,or runs, out in front of any large 4x4 is going to be seriously hurt anyway.... especially with some of the older types. gb
Nope ... no excuse for that level of stupidity ... sorry A person walking out in front of a Discovery doing 15 mph, is likely to have a much greater chance of surviving if their head hits a deformable panel, rather than a 2" diameter steel bar. There is no reason to fit these bars in the UK, except for under extremely limited circumstances. It is time they were either banned, or priced out of the insurance market. And I don't give a flying **** for the freedoms lost. The freedom to turn a vehicle into a "more dangerous" one, is a restriction of the freedom, and a reduction of the safety levels of the rest of us. Whine all you want. steveb
YOU ARE of course correct,,,BUT the natural front of your 4*4 is reasonably flat and made of sheet metal, and the weight of something hitting the front is far more likely to be distributed over a bigger area, than the smaller much more rigid radius of the steel bars, It's like having to chose between being hit by a normal metal garage door doing thirty miles an hour, or a baseball bat doing the same speed, one would put you in hospital, the other, hospital would be a waste of time...
