Car makers and the European Commission have reached a voluntary agreement to ban rigid bull bars on vehicles.

Bull bars are deemed by manufacturers and campaign groups to be unnecessarily dangerous to pedestrians, and will neither be fitted to cars nor marketed as aftermarket products from January 1, 2002, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) has pledged.

The move was greeted with delight by the RAC Foundation, which has been lobbying for five years to outlaw bull bars. Kevin Delaney, the foundation's traffic and road safety manager, said: “It is universally recognised by road safety experts that bull bars are a dangerous and unacceptable menace to pedestrians, especially children. This Europe-wide agreement will ensure that the automotive industry makes cars that will be more pedestrian friendly.”

The European Safety Council has estimated that 2,000 deaths and 18,000 injuries could be prevented annually thanks to the ban. (July 31, 2001)