Squad car push bars

[jingtza]

Hi LEOs,

What purpose do the push bars on the squad cars serve? I understand why the large wraparound ones are there, (i.e. PIT maneuver) but there are some that are just so small, I can't imagine what good they would do.

Any insight is appreciated.

[blairian]

They provide more room for the mounting of equipment and should you need to ram something...save the bumper!

[HotSoup]

They're there to push cars

[PhilipCal]

Push bars

They're there to push cars

Ya beat me to it

[ateamer]

Hint: Their purpose is contained in their name.

[e-man]

Notice the name, PUSH bar and NOT RAMMING SPEED bar?
yeah we have the big nearly full wrap around ones, we hit many deer and it saves the patrol from being out of service for headlight assembly work...
Plus we push tons of stupid drivers off the road..."Ran out of gas officer, Sorry" is repeated all too frequently

[Iowa #1603]

Notice the name, PUSH bar and NOT RAMMING SPEED bar?
yeah we have the big nearly full wrap around ones, we hit many deer and it saves the patrol from being out of service for headlight assembly work...
Plus we push tons of stupid drivers off the road..."Ran out of gas officer, Sorry" is repeated all too frequently

Pretty much the way it works in Iowa except they are called "Brush Guards"

Some urban departments in Iowa use "Push Bumpers"................and as noted they are used to ;---------ahaaaaaa. Push things

[dontknowwhy]

To make the car look sharper.

[OneAdam12]

Reduce gas mileage but makes you look cool.

[Iowa #1603]

Reduce gas mileage but makes you look cool.

YOU are back!!!!

[nuthead]

To minimize damage from the cows. Always got to be prepared for the cows.

[District B 13]

So when we sell them to the public, we can get more money for the car.

[LaPlaca]

It provides a secure place to wrap a coat hangar for when you lock yourself out of your car.....so ive heard..

[pdt1820]

Mainly for pushing cars hence the name. They aren't as useful as they once were since not many cars have metal bumpers anymore other than trucks. They are reduce damage in crashes. My CV was driven through a cement block wall and definately would have been totaled without once. A co-worker got hit head one at the end of a chase a few weeks ago and received ~$1000 worth of damage not counting replacing the bar, without it it would have pushed $3000.

[Seventy2002]

They are reduce damage in crashes.

Or don't. My agency removed pushbars after a couple big-buck collisions. They were 90-degree incidents that would otherwise have been just scraped paint.