In most jurisdictions, bumpers are legally required on all vehicles.
Regulations for automobile bumpers have been implemented for two reasons – to allow the car to sustain a low-speed impact without damage to the vehicle's safety systems, and to protect pedestrians from injury. These requirements conflict: bumpers that withstand impact well and minimize repair costs tend to injure pedestrians more, while pedestrian-friendly bumpers tend to have higher repair costs. Although a vehicle's bumper systems are designed to absorb the energy of low-speed collisions and help protect the car's safety and other expensive nearby components, most bumpers are designed to meet only the minimum regulatory standards.
International standards International safety regulations, devised initially as European standards under the auspices of the
United Nations, have now been adopted by most countries outside North America. These specify that a car's safety systems must still function normally after a straight-on pendulum or moving-barrier impact of to the front and the rear, and to the front and rear corners of at above the ground with the vehicle loaded or unloaded.
Pedestrian safety European countries have implemented regulations to address the issue of 270,000 deaths annually in
worldwide pedestrian/auto accidents. because the bull bar is rigid and transmits all force of a collision to the pedestrian, unlike a bumper, which absorbs some force and crumples. In the
European Union, the sale of rigid metal bull bars that do not comply with the relevant pedestrian-protection safety standards has been banned.
Off-road bumpers Off-road vehicles often utilize aftermarket off-road bumpers made of heavy gauge metal to improve clearance (height above terrain), maximize departure angles, clear larger tires, and ensure additional protection. Similar or identical to bull bars, off-road bumpers feature a rigid construction and do not absorb (by plastic deformation) any energy in a collision, which is more dangerous for pedestrians than factory plastic bumpers. The legality of the aftermarket off-road bumpers varies by jurisdiction.
United States Bumper regulations in the United States focus on preventing low-speed accidents from impairing safe vehicle operation, limiting damage to safety-related vehicle components, and containing the costs of repair after a crash.
First standards 1971 In 1971, the U.S.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued the country's first regulation applicable to passenger car bumpers. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 215 (FMVSS 215), "Exterior Protection," took effect on 1 September 1972—when most automakers would begin producing their
model year 1973 vehicles. The standard prohibited functional damage to specified safety-related components such as
headlamps and fuel system components when the vehicle is subjected to barrier crash tests at for front and for rear bumper systems. The requirements effectively eliminated automobile bumper designs that featured integral
automotive lighting components such as tail lamps. In October 1972, the
U.S. Congress enacted the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Saving Act (MVICS), which required NHTSA to issue a bumper standard that yields the "maximum feasible reduction of cost to the public and to the consumer". Factors considered included the costs and benefits of implementation, the standard's effect on insurance costs and legal fees, savings in consumer time and inconvenience, as well as health and safety considerations. The standards were further tightened for the 1974 model year passenger cars, with standardized height front and rear bumpers that could take angle impacts at with no damage to the car's lights, safety equipment, and engine. There was no provision in the law for consumers to 'opt out' of this protection. This often meant additional overall vehicle length, as well as new front and rear designs to incorporate the stronger energy-absorbing bumpers, adding weight to the extremities of the vehicle. Passenger cars featured gap-concealing flexible filler panels between the bumpers and the car's bodywork causing them to have a "massive, blockish look". However, other bumper designs also met the requirements. The 1973
AMC Matador coupe had free-standing bumpers with rubber gaiters alone to conceal the retractable shock absorbers. The bumper regulations applied to all passenger cars, both
American-made and imported. With exceptions including the
Volvo 240,
Porsche 911, and
Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, European and Asian automakers tended to put compliant bumpers only on cars destined for the U.S. and Canadian markets where the regulations applied. This meant their North American-spec cars tended to look different than versions of the same model sold elsewhere. U.S. bumper-height requirements effectively made some models, such as the
Citroën SM, ineligible for importation to the United States. Unlike
international safety regulations, U.S. regulations were written without provision for
hydropneumatic suspension.
Zero-damage standards 1976 The requirements promulgated under MVICS were consolidated with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 215 (FMVSS 215, "Exterior Protection of Vehicles") and promulgated in March 1976. This new bumper standard was placed in the
United States Code of Federal Regulations at 49 CFR 581, separate from the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards at 49CFR571. The new requirements, applicable to 1979-
model year passenger cars, were called the "Phase I" standard. At the same time, a zero-damage requirement, "Phase II", was enacted for bumper systems on 1980 and newer cars. The most rigorous requirements applied to 1980 through 1982 model vehicles; front and rear barrier and pendulum crash tests were required, and no damage was allowed to the bumper beyond a dent and displacement from the bumper's original position. coupe All-wheel-drive "cross-over" cars such as the
AMC Eagle were classified as multi-purpose vehicles or trucks, and thus exempt from the passenger car bumper standards.
Stringency reduced in 1982 The recently elected
Reagan administration had pledged to use
cost–benefit analysis to reduce regulatory burdens on industry, which impacted this standard. As discussed in detail under
Physics, before 1959, people believed the stronger the structure, including the bumpers, the safer the car. A later analysis led to the understanding of
crumple zones, rather than rigid construction that proved deadly to passengers because the force from impact went straight inside the vehicle and onto the passenger. In addition, the zero-damage Phase II requirement was rolled back to the damage allowances of Phase I. At the same time, a passenger car bumper height requirement of was established for passenger cars. Despite these findings, consumer and insurance groups decried the weakened bumper standard. They argued that the 1982 standard increased overall consumer costs without any attendant benefits except for automakers. In 1986,
Consumers Union petitioned NHTSA to return to the Phase II standard and disclose bumper strength information to consumers. In 1990, NHTSA rejected that petition.
Consumer information In the United States, the
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) subjects vehicles to low-speed barrier tests () and publishes the results, including repair costs. Car makers that do well in these tests tend to publicize the results. In 1990, the IIHS conducted four crash tests on three different-year examples of the
Plymouth Horizon. The results illustrate the effect of the changes to the U.S. bumper regulations (repair costs are quoted in 1990
United States dollars):
Canada Automobile bumper standards in
Canada were first enacted simultaneously as those in the United States. These were closely similar to the U.S. regulation, and the Canadian requirements were not lowered to in 1982 as was done in the United States. Some automakers provided stronger Canadian-specification bumpers throughout the North American market, while others chose weaker bumpers in the U.S. market. This limited
grey import vehicles between the U.S. and Canada. In early 2009, Canada's regulation shifted to harmonize with U.S. Federal standards and international
UN Regulations. As in the U.S.,
consumer protection groups opposed the change, while Canadian regulators maintained that the test speed is used worldwide and is more compatible with improved
pedestrian protection in vehicle-pedestrian
crashes. ==See also==