They would have to be one of the most common and the most visible car accessories. Here in Australia, we tend to call them roo bars rather than bull bars simply because we\u2019re more likely to encounter Old Man Kangaroo in the middle of the road. But are bull bars, roo bars, nudge bars or whatever you want to call them really worth it? Should you install them on your vehicle?
\nOpinion is, of course, divided, and whether you put them on your car or not is really up to you, the sort of car you have and what you plan on doing with it.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no denying that a set of big bull bars\/roo bars have tough-guy good looks on a big 4×4 like a Mitsubishi Pajero<\/a> \u2013 and that they look a bit silly on a little hatchback (although nudge bars might have a sort of ironic humour installed on a Mini<\/a>) or on a sports car. But don\u2019t just blindly get them put on your set of wheels. Think first.<\/p>\n The idea behind bull bars is simple. If you\u2019re driving down a country road at night and some stupid cattlebeast or kangaroo (or some other big animal) wanders out into the road as you bucket around a corner at the full legal limit, there\u2019s going to be one heck of a big mess. You won\u2019t be able to stop the mess that will be made of the poor dumb animal but the mess it makes of your front bonnet can be minimised if you have bull bars attached, as the bull bars take the impact better than the headlights. You can also get smaller versions that protect the front of your vehicle from the scrapes and bumps of shrubbery; these are usually called nudge bars, bush bars or brush bars.<\/p>\n Bull bars also fit in very well with other off-road accessories, as they make a handy place to mount a winch or extra spotlights.<\/p>\n However, bull bars have their downside. In fact, there\u2019s noises going around about them being banned in the European Union, especially the metal ones. This is because if a car fitted with bull bars hits a pedestrian or a cyclist, all the force of the car is concentrated into the bull bar as it strikes the person, and the result is much worse than if the pedestrian or cyclist hit the bumper and the headlights \u2013 a person might be able to survive being hit by a car without bull bars but the chance of serious injury or death is much higher when the metal bull bars are there. Have a look at the ANCAP or other crash test sites and have a look at the tests for pedestrian safety and you\u2019ll see why. These problems get worse if people pop accessories onto bull bars, such as winches, lights, fishing rod holders and the like, as the brackets can be sharp and act like a spear in a collision.<\/p>\n Bull bars can also interfere with airbags, as it\u2019s a hard blow on the bonnet that triggers the airbags to deploy. If the bull bars are put on in such a way that they deflect most of the force from the bonnet, the airbags might not go off during a head-on collision, which means the drivers and passengers are more likely to be injured.<\/p>\n The verdict? If you do a lot of rural driving or off-roading, then roo bars will certainly save you a few panel beater\u2019s bills. However, if you\u2019re a mostly urban driver and just like the looks of them, it\u2019s probably better if you leave them off for safety reasons.<\/p>\n Those who want to fit bull bars to their new 4×4 can find out more about the Australian legal requirements at this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n