A bullbar or push bumper (also kangaroo bar, roo bar, winch bar or nudge bar in Australia, livestock stop (initially a term used to refer to locomotive pilots) or kangaroo device in Russia, and push bar, ram bar, brush guard, grille guard, cactus pusher, rammer, PIT bar, PIT bumper, or cattle pusher in the United States and Canada) is a device installed on the front of a vehicle to protect its front from collisions, whether an accidental collision with a large animal in rural roads, or an intentional collision by police with another vehicle. They vary considerably in size and form, and are normally composed of welded steel or aluminium tubing, or, more recently, moulded polycarbonate and polyethylene materials. The "bull" in the name refers to cattle, which in rural areas sometimes roam onto rural roads and highways.
Safety and legality
Studies have shown that using bull bars increases the risk of death and serious injury to pedestrians. This is because the bull bar is rigid, and so transmits all the force to the pedestrian, unlike a bumper which resists some force and crumples. Due to the number of deaths and injuries caused by the rigid fronts of cars, often with metal bullbars (2,000 deaths and 18,000 serious accidents per year in Europe, according to official studies in the UK), the sale of new metal bullbars which did not comply with a European Union Directive was banned in the European Union. However, in the United Kingdom the sale and refitting of second-hand bars manufactured before 2007 or the use of pre-2007 bars already fitted is permitted as per the current MOT guidelines: "It is not illegal for vehicles to be fitted with bull bars, although the Department would not recommend their fitment unless it has been shown, through compliance with specified safety standards, that they do not pose an additional risk of injury to pedestrians or other vulnerable road users. There are no plans for legislation to require bull bars that are already fitted to be removed."
Design and terminology
Where cattle are more prominent and where larger four-wheel drive vehicles are used, drivers use larger steel bullbars.
Brushbars (or bush bars) are similar to bullbars, often integrated into the bull bar design. They protect the front fender panels of the vehicle, especially headlights, from brush and small trees.
"Nudge bars", another kind of bullbar, are generally fitted to sedans and small SUVs, and consist of light aluminium alloy or polycarbonate tubing that protects only the radiator area without replacing the bumper. Bullbars typically replace the front bumper and front inner wheel wells, so most require indicator light housings.
Bullbars are sometimes used as a platform for mounting spotlights, fishrod holders and vehicle recovery winches. Radio antennas for equipment such as CB radios are often mounted onto bullbars, even though mounting on the roof provides better performance. Mounting on the roof is inconvenient in cities as it typically makes vehicles too tall to fit in underground carparks.
Bullbars incorporating a winch are often known as "winch bumpers"(USA) or "winch bars"(AU), especially in the UK where the sale of bullbars that do not meet European standards, as mentioned above, was banned since 2007. However, the legislation was not retrospective, and steel frontal protection systems can still be legal, for instance when incorporating a winch fitting.
As a safety feature, traditional bars are built to protect the vehicle, which is considered less safe than allowing controlled deformation to absorb kinetic energy during a collision. Modern design of bullbars and roo bars has advanced, so some vehicle manufacturers and aftermarket companies now offer impact bars which integrate with the vehicle safety system, such as activation of airbags after collision with the bullbar. Plastic bullbars made from materials such as polyethylene are designed to act like a spring and deflect due to the force of a collision so that the vehicle is still driveable after striking an animal. These designs are more "pedestrian friendly" than the same vehicle without any bullbar. Some modern bullbars have crumple zones and/or are mounted on sliders, designed to move back in order to reduce impact forces.