New bull bars a softer touch

19th April 2007

Anyone ignoring the rules faces a 12-month jail sentence plus a £20,000 fine, warns the Department for Transport.

Vehicles already fitted with the devices will not be affected, but anyone who now wants to equip their motor will have to buy a pedestrian-friendly alternative.

The safer bars, which are made from energy-absorbing plastic, have already been tested by manufacturer Concept Mouldings. Its Endura Frontal Protection System (FPS) is available for a range of 4x4s, includ­ing the Mitsubishi Shogun and SUVs from Land Rover, Ford, Nissan and Toyota. Pedestrian safety concerns prompted the new EU rules.

Transport Research Laboratory sta­tistics reveal more than 900 UK and 12,000 European pedestrians and cyclists are killed every year, but the new bars could help reduce these figures. A Concept Mould­ings spokesman said: "Our bars absorb lots of energy, and help to protect pedestrians from hard parts of vehicles."