'We don't know how lucky we are ...'

Over in Australia, the Federal Government is considering adopting European regulations for the design and safety performance of motor vehicles. Aussie aftermarket companies reckon that it will not be possible to develop bullbars that will meet this European standard, and the full adoption of the standard is likely to lead to the banning of bullbars, and possibly other bumper-mounted accessories such as winches and driving lights. The Australian 4WD industry is preparing submissions saying that the Euro regulations are inappropriate. Mind you, the smug headline above this item (courtesy of Fred Dagg) could come back to bite if Canberra adopted the rules. Many suppliers of good gear could go to the wall if they lost the valuable bumper component of their businesses. Biggies like ARB with a large export business might not be so badly affected. Then there would be the possibility of New Zealand copying the Aussie rules; from there on it doesn't bear thinking about …

UPDATE: The Australian federal government has said it is not considering banning bullbars, but that there may be changes to the rules.