Bullbars: Safety for Me, Not Thee

This SUV has what's called a bullbar, grill guard, or push bumper on its front:


They were first common on police SUVs but it seems as though everywhere I look these days, civilian vehicles have them also. I know that's probably at least partly because I'm newly aware of them, but still.

Why do people think they need these?

The point is to protect your front bumper at the cost of everyone else's safety, especially pedestrians. Because of their height, SUVs are already more dangerous to pedestrians than cars, and these things make them even more deadly. As the Argus Leader story linked above says,

Barry Wellar, a retired University of Ottawa professor who often testifies as an expert witness in transportation safety cases, said little research has been done on the safety impact to pedestrians and cyclists regarding bull bars. What does exist suggests pedestrians' chances of surviving a collision are cut in half when bull bars are involved.

“They’re head high for a kid. They can take the bull bar right in the head,” he said. “And they’re absolutely killer for cyclists or pedestrians. It’s serious trouble.”

I can't help feeling that the people who buy these for their vehicles are afraid of the world and this is their chance to armor themselves and feel slightly safer. But that's not a good enough reason to endanger other people the way these things do.