Bull Bars-5 Reasons That Led To Their Ban In India

What are Bull bars?

You must have heard of bull bars, especially after the recent bull bar ban that gathered headlines for quite some time. If you are not familiar with the term, don't worry, let us explain what are bullbars.

A bullbar is a metal grill mostly placed on the front of the vehicle to shield it from the damage.

The Indian government banned the use of bull bars. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has made it mandatory for all Indian citizens to abide by the rule and failing to implement it, one would attract a fine.

Here are the top five reasons which acted as the key contributors to the ban.

Bull bars can prevent the airbags from opening up

Bull bars cover the parts susceptible to a direct hit case of a collision. The airbags that are meant to save someone from a deadly accident, only open up when there is a force exceeding the set threshold. If the bull bars cover all these areas, the airbags might not open leading to severe injuries. The results can be fatal as well, so why take chances? A car doesn't cost much more than a life.

Bull bars can affect the crumple zones

A crumple zone is structurally fitted into the front portion of a vehicle to avoid the head-on collision impacts. We all know Momentum=mass*speed square, so momentum and energy play a vital role in any collision. Crumple zones absorb the energy from a collision. In simple terms, in case of an accident, the impact of energy and damage reduces significantly due to the crumple zones and the people inside the vehicle suffer less shock and injuries. Installing bull bars not only reduces the effectiveness of crumple zones but, poses a direct threat to the safety of an individual.  

Bull bars are technically illegal

Yes, you heard it right. As per the Motor Vehicles Act, rule 52,

"No owner of a motor vehicle shall so alter the vehicle that the particulars contained in the certificate of registration are at variance with those originally specified by the manufacturer. Alteration in motor vehicle. "

So, technically, bull bars mounted on a vehicle are not legal in the first place.  

Bull bars can make you lose insurance

We have often come across cases wherein the car insurance companies refuse to provide insurance. Some crashes which even turn out deadly, fail to attract the insurance due to minute clauses. Having bull bars mounted on your vehicle can be one such minute clause which can stop you from claiming the insurance. These reasons are enough to implement a ban on bull bars. This action has obviously come across as a shock to the bull bar dealers across the nation but is certainly the need of the hour.

Bull bars pose a safety hazard to pedestrians

Going by the law of momentum, there has to be the absorption of energy in order to conserve the momentum. As we discussed earlier, the shape and specifications of the vehicle are made in order to deal with the impact of the crash. In order to conserve the momentum, if the weight of other object involved in the crash is less, it will experience a jolt. This means if a four-wheeler bumps into a pedestrian, a cyclist or a two-wheeler, the latter ones can fly with the amount of energy they will receive. Does it make you recall a movie scene? Well, we hope that doesn't happen with you ever but would definitely request you not to mount bull bars on your vehicle.

The implementation of this law across the nation will be a cumbersome task, but to ensure the safety of people who drive and walk on roads, we should play our part as responsible citizens of India. How do you feel about the bull bar ban in India? Let us know in the comment section below.

CARS24 wishes you a happy journey on the roads :)