NRMA censures city bull bars

The Sydney Morning Herald

Tuesday 30 November 1999

The NRMA said yesterday there was no justification for the use of full-sized bullbars in urban areas.

It said they simply increased the risk of injury to pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists if hit by vehicles fitted with them.

The NRMA's vehicle safety and environment man-ager, Mr Jack Haley, said full-sized bullbars should be used only in country areas.

"Full-sized bullbars should be fitted only to vehicles being used in non-metropolitan areas where the risk of collisions with large animals is high," Mr Haley said. He called on manufacturers to provide a wider range of less aggress-ive bullbars.

The debate over bullbars has raged for some time, with one report in 1997 stating that an RTA proposal was to ban bullbars from vehicles registered in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and Gosford.

Debate was reignited last week when a 20-year-old woman was killed on the Spit Bridge in Mosman when a bulbar of a four-wheel-drive hit her Daihatsu Charade.