Bull bars to stay
The Federal Government has hosed down speculation that 'roo bars will be banned on SUVs
The Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport, Catherine King, has come out and said that recent claims in the media and by interest groups that the Government was intending to ban bull bars were totally incorrect.
"Let’s be clear about this, the Government will not ban bull bars," King said in a statement. "The Government recognises that bull bars play a positive role in road safety, including in animal strikes."
The proposal, to adopt an internationally agreed standard to improve pedestrian safety by making the front of vehicles more energy absorbing, would be phased in from 2013 to 2019 and apply only to new vehicles, not vehicles in use today, the statement said.
The proposed changes would save up to 65 lives and 3000 serious injuries over 15 years, the government claims.
Whereas on-road passenger cars would have to comply with pedestrian safety standards similar to that in Europe, "vehicles designed for off-road use, such as most four-wheel drive vehicles... would allow for metal bars to be used".
"Far from banning bull bars, the Department’s proposal recognises the safety benefits from bull bars and proposes standards for bull bars, so that they also contribute to our pedestrian safety objective," King said. "I’m sure the bull bar industry and vehicle owners share that objective."
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