It will be illegal to manufacture and sell bull bars that do not conform to this legislation punishable by a maximum penalty, to be imposed within the UK, of 12 months imprisonment and/or a fine of £20,000.
Operators of vehicles already fitted with these devices will not be affected.
Potential operator impact
A bull bar is
a fashionable large metal tubular construction wrapped
around the front of a vehicle usual made from either
aluminium or steel. It is fitted primarily for its looks but
also to mount accessories (spot lights & winches etc) and to
protect the vehicle and occupants from frontal impact damage
from animals etc. It can vary considerably in both shape and
tube size.
The major driving force behind the introduction of the
legislation is the, in excess of, 10,000 killed and 250,000
maimed and injured pedestrians and cyclists on European
roads each year.
Operator impact
The latest,
conforming to legislation, bull bars are made from plastic
derivatives and are readily available for most popular types
of vehicle. These current designs as well as continuing to
offer mountings for accessories and vehicle and occupant
protection can be made from energy-absorbing materials so
providing enhanced protection for pedestrians' and cyclists
over and above the standard product supplied with the
vehicle. These new designs protect vulnerable groups by
protecting them from hard and potentially sharp vehicle
edges such as bonnets, radiators and engines and so, should,
make the vehicle safer.
Some manufacturers are still offering Bull and A-bars for sale which do not conform to the new E.U. directive. This has been on the basis that the Department for Transport have stated that although these new regulations have been in force since May 2007, they are not in a position to prosecute anyone found to manufacture or sell the products as they are a number of legal issues which have still to be addressed.
On this basis, Vanax Ltd have have decided to withdraw from sale their entire range of bull and A-bars as the inevitable outcome is a grey period where prosecution may in fact take place. We are actively sourcing new front protection systems which will conform to the new regulation and we will keep you updated on this in due course.
As mentioned above, this does not affect operators who already have Bull bars or A-bars fitted