23-7-02

Barrett calls for ban on bull bars

John Barrett, Scottish Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West, today called on the Government to bring forward legislation in the next parliamentary session to ban bull bars on the front of vehicles.

Mr Barrett has supported a parliamentary motion, calling for a complete ban on bull bars, following on from claims by the European Safety Council that an estimated 2,000 people die and 18,000 serious injuries are caused every year directly because of the bars.

John Barrett MP said:

“The bull bars on 620,000 vehicle fronts in the UK are nothing more than fashion accessories, adding nothing to the performance of the vehicles concerned. Even the Government failed to name any benefits associated with bull bars when asked in parliamentary answers to me on this subject.

“The £100 cost required to remove bull bars from a vehicle is, I believe, a small price to pay for the lives which could be saved a result. However, what we need is direction and leadership from the Government to back up the good will and progress being made by MEPs in the European Parliament, who have done much to secure agreements with car manufacturers.

“There is clearly wide support in Europe, in Westminster and amongst the general public for a ban on bull bars. Now is the time for the UK Government to get on with the task.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Mr Barrett has signed the following Early Day Motion

EDM 1567 – Ban on Bull BarsThat this House considers the fitting of unnecessary bull bars to the front of vehicles as a dangerous fashion accessory which should be banned; recognises that organisations such as the RAC estimate that bull bars contribute to 70 fatalities on our roads a year; welcomes the resolution of the European parliamentarians to secure an agreement with motor manufacturers to ban the addition of bull bars on new vehicles from this year; and calls on the Government to introduce regulations to ban these kind of vehicle adornments as part of the annual MOT.

Mr Barrett asked in January 2002 the following parliamentary questions

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many people have (a) died and (b) suffered injuries through accidents associated with vehicles fitted with bull bars in each year since 1995. [24288]

Mr. Jamieson: Figures for accidents associated with vehicles fitted with bull bars are not recorded separately. The Transport Research Laboratory carried out a special study of a sample of police reports of accidents involving bull bars and estimated that in 1994 there were around two additional deaths in Great Britain due to bull bars. However, TRL did not find any single case in the sample where a bull bar had definitely caused a death.

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many vehicles in the UK are fitted with bull bars; and what percentage this represents of the entire vehicle fleet. [24289]

Mr. Jamieson: The number of vehicles fitted with bull bars is not officially recorded. In 1997 we estimated that there were around 620,000 vehicles fitted with bull bars in Great Britain. This would have equated to 2.3 per cent. of total licensed vehicles.

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what assessment the Government have made of (a) the benefits associated with the fitting of bull bars to vehicles in the UK and (b) the cost of removing bull bars from vehicles fitted with such bars in the UK; [24291]
(2) what assessment he has made of the impact the European Commission recommendations on safer car fronts will have on deaths and serious injuries associated with bull bars. [24290]

Mr. Jamieson: A draft regulatory appraisal was prepared in 1997 in connection with a consultation on possible national action on bull bars. Although this identified the benefits of removing bull bars, it did not identify benefits associated with fitting them. The cost to owners of removing bull bars was estimated at £110 per vehicle, being £35 for physical removal and £75 related to assumptions linked to loss of utility.

We have not made a separate assessment of the benefits expected from the bull bar aspect of the European Commission's proposal on pedestrian protection.