§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what research he has undertaken into the(a) extent of bull bar attachments to on-road vehicles, (b) their use and (c) any danger they pose to pedestrians;
(2) if he will ban the use of bull bars on on-road vehicles; and if he will make a statement;
(3) what is his assessment of the danger of bull bars attached to on-road vehicles.
§ Mr. KeyNo research has been undertaken into the extent of the fitment and use of bull bars to road vehicles. However, estimates suggest that about 2 per cent. of new vehicles are being fitted with them.
Impact tests using an instrumented child-size headform on a bull bar have shown that the severity of an impact on a bull bar appears significantly more severe than on a flexible bonnet. We have therefore taken steps to identify accidents where a pedestrian has been struck by a vehicle fitted with a bull bar with a view to determining whether bull bars are causing increased injuries. We do not expect to see results from this exercise before the end of 1994. It would not be sensible to legislate before considering those results.