‘Justify why they need it’: Giant bullbar prompts calls for tougher rules
A leading road safety expert says the increasing presence of bullbars in inner-city areas warrants tighter restrictions.
An oversized ute with a giant bullbar spotted on a suburban street in Melbourne has prompted a leading road safety expert to call for tougher regulations on vehicle modifications.
A GMC Sierra Denali HD – an oversized American pick-up truck imported into Australia from the United States and converted to right-hand drive – was sighted by Drive parked on a busy shopping street in suburban Melbourne.
The ute, which already measures more than 6 metres long and more than 2 metres high, is fitted with an aftermarket bullbar that increases its already imposing height.
"The sheer size of that vehicle aside, the bullbar mounted on it [should be] illegal," Milad Haghani, Associate Professor in Urban Risk and Resilience at the University of Melbourne, told Drive.
"First of all, it appears to be steel rather than polymer, which means that in the event of a pedestrian crash, it's likely to increase injury severity manyfold and could well be the difference between life and death."
Mr Haghani said it is "hard to determine whether a bullbar is compliant with certainty from a quick visual inspection" making regulations "practically unenforceable".
"I bet this vehicle could drive hundreds of kilometres around metropolitan areas and not a single police vehicle would intercept it on that basis. That's a major gap in vehicle accessory regulation," Mr Haghani added.
When Drive approached Victoria Police for comment, a spokesperson responded: "We don’t speculate on an image. If the vehicle has been intercepted by police, please provide where and on what date so we can follow up for you as to whether the vehicle was roadworthy or not."
Mr Haghani's suggestion was to "ban steel bullbars" and only permit polymer bullbars. Additionally, he suggested "any vehicle registered to a metropolitan address has to justify why they need a bullbar".
"Do they go hunting? Do they have a farm they visit often? Do they have frequent rural trips on roads subject to animal crash? If there's a valid reason then it won't be too hard to prove. But if it's only for status display and cosmetic, that is unfair to other road users," he argued.
Australia's Heavy Vehicle National Law defines a heavy vehicle as one that has a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of more than 4.5 tonnes. Depending on the original weight of the vehicle, some modifications may add enough weight to push a vehicle over this limit.
If your vehicle's gross mass is between 4.5 tonnes and 8 tonnes, you will require a light rigid truck licence to drive it.
The GMC Sierra Denali HD weighs in at over 4.5 tonnes even when not fitted with a bullbar, and thus would likely require a designated light rigid truck licence to drive.
Aftermarket bullbars must comply with Australian standards and be firmly and securely fitted. They must not adversely affect safety systems, prevent the vehicle structure and airbag system from functioning effectively in a crash, obstruct the forward vision of the driver, obstruct the headlights or indicators and project further beyond the front of the vehicle than what is necessary.
