Is it Legal to Drive Without a Front Bumper?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

When it comes to safety, every part of your car is important. Your car is equipped with front and rear “crumple zones,” which are the areas of the car that absorb and disperse the energy in the event of a collision. On the front lines of those crumple zones are the bumpers, which are the first parts of the car to get hit. In that case, is it illegal to drive without them?

Why would anyone drive around without a front bumper?

A car with no front bumper | Wikimedia Commons

If you ever see a car driving without a front or rear bumper, then chances are that person was in some type of collision and is waiting for or holding off on making the repairs.  Sometimes, insurance claims can take a while or parts can even take a while to come in, which usually results in the car owners driving them as is after an accident.

Another time you might see a car driving around without a front bumper is if the car is modified. Many car enthusiasts will tack on an aftermarket front bumper for the sake of aesthetics or greater aerodynamics. Others will remove the front bumper altogether if they have a large intercooler attached to a turbocharger setup for greater cooling efficiency.

Is it illegal to drive without a front bumper?

An old Volvo was damaged after a car accident.
An old Volvo was damaged after a car accident. | (Photo by Krystof Kriz/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

When it comes to driving without a front bumper, the law varies by state. Since bumpers are an important safety part of the car, driving a car without them can lead to serious damages and injuries in the event of a car crash.

According to First Quarter Finance, any cars that weren’t equipped with bumpers can drive without them. But all the cars, the rules by the state are as follows:

  • Alabama: No bumper requirements
  • Alaska: Bumper must maintain factory design
  • Arizona: No bumper requirements
  • Arkansas: No bumper requirements
  • California: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • Colorado: No bumper requirements
  • Connecticut: No bumper requirements
  • Delaware: No bumper requirements
  • Florida: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • Georgia: No bumper requirements
  • Hawaii: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • Idaho: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • Illinois: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • Indiana: Must maintain factory design
  • Iowa: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • Kansas: No bumper requirements
  • Kentucky: No bumper requirements
  • Louisiana: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • Maine: Must maintain factory design
  • Maryland: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • Massachusetts: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • Michigan: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • Minnesota: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • Mississippi: No bumper requirements
  • Missouri: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • Montana: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • Nebraska: No bumper requirements
  • Nevada: No bumper requirements
  • New Hampshire: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • New Jersey: No bumper requirements
  • New Mexico: No bumper requirements
  • New York: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • North Carolina: No bumper requirements
  • North Dakota: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • Ohio: Must maintain factory design
  • Oklahoma: No bumper requirements
  • Oregon: No bumper requirements
  • Pennsylvania: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • Rhode Island: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • South Carolina: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • South Dakota: No bumper requirements
  • Tennessee: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • Texas: No bumper requirements
  • Utah: Must maintain factory design
  • Washington: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • West Virginia: Must maintain factory design
  • Wisconsin: Must have front and rear bumpers
  • Wyoming: No bumper requirements

As we can see, there are plenty of states without specific bumper requirements. The aforementioned list was compiled by First Quarter Finance using each state’s legislatures or repair manuals. However, if you’re still unsure if your car can be legally driven without a front or rear bumper, be sure to contact your state’s department of motor vehicles.

There can be penalties to pay for if you’re caught

Bumpers from high-polluting vehicles taken off the road by authorities are seen piled up at an auto scrapyard.
Bumpers from high-polluting vehicles taken off the road by authorities are seen piled up at an auto scrapyard. | (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

If you do get pulled over for not having a front or rear bumper on your car, then it is possible to get fined for it. Of course, the amount of the fine and other penalties will vary by state. However, it’s best to comply with the law and get your car repaired as soon as you can. Not only will you avoid any penalties, but having a front and rear bumper will make your car safer in general.

RELATED: Your Car’s Safety Rating Might Be Worthless at Highway Speed

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Red Bull Racing’s High Downforce Could Challenge Mercedes at Hungary

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Following its defeat at Silverstone in the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing will arrive at the Hungarian Grand Prix better prepared for downforce than arguably most other cars. A racetrack which Martin Brundle has dubbed “Monaco without the walls”, the Hungaroring is Silverstone’s polar opposite. Silverstone rewards straight-line speed more than downforce. Red Bull hopes to fight back, using the Hungaroring to its high-downforce advantage. The Red Bull is quite possibly the fastest car on the grid over a lap.

Red Bull Racing has a history of building cars that handle well, at the expense of straight-line speed. However, Verstappen won handily at Silverstone for F1’s first-ever sprint race and was challenging for the lead on Sunday until his crash with Lewis Hamilton. 

Because of their high-downforce setup, the Red Bull cars were able to carry more speed into the straights. According to Technical Contributors Mark Hughes and Giorgio Piola, this allowed the Red Bulls a quicker overall lap than the Mercedes.

Red Bull’s Rear Wings Increase Downforce

Sergio Perez of Red Bull Racing Honda | Andrea Diodato/NurPhoto via Getty Images

One way Red Bull achieved this downforce was by its rear wing design. Aside from its controversial flex wing, Red Bull used gurney flaps atop the rear wings, which added downforce but increased drag. This extra downforce gave the Red Bulls better speed through the slower corners, where Mercedes couldn’t afford to add any downforce as it would slow its lap time. 

The Styrian Grand Prix practice sessions exhibited some weaknesses in the Red Bull design that stemmed from pre-season testing. The Red Bull cars were spinning out in slower corners at Austria, says retired racing car designer Gary Anderson. Since then, it seems Red Bull has figured out how to increase stability. The potential of these types of changes came to fruition at both the Styrian and Austrian Grand Prix, when Verstappen dominated with help also from two significant upgrades to his front wing and bargeboards. 

Deflectors Help Produce Downforce

Max Verstappen at 2021 Styrian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing Honda | Andrea Diodato/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Red Bull added “deflectors” to the floor for Silverstone, in front of the rear wheels. Deflectors are designed to deflect airflow from around the tires. Putting these deflectors in front of wheels increases lift and drag with a high-rake setup, as on the Red Bull. However, the benefit is the deflectors should preserve the performance under the floor, and at the rear diffuser. Hughes states these deflectors are at 90-degrees, which in theory should support rear-end performance.

Winglets on the Floor Encourage Vortices

Sergio Perez at 2021 Austrian Grand Prix qualifying.
Sergio Perez of Red Bull Racing Honda | Andrea Diodato/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Red Bull also added some winglets on the floor to accommodate a new diffuser at slow speeds. The vortices created at the edge of the floor, according to Hughes, were having a hard time keeping active. These winglets were apparently the solution. Those vortices are crucial to preserving the underfloor performance. Some of this technology may not appear next season, with different aero regulations for the 2022 cars.

The Hungaroring rewards high-downforce cars. Slow corners are common, and there’s only one big straightaway. Judging from Silverstone, this works in Red Bull’s favor, especially with the speeds its cars can carry in slow corners. What Red Bull has done is make a Formula 1 car that’s competitive at, so far, every track on the calendar. Friday’s free practice sessions already show the Red Bull’s strength.

RELATED: McLaren Formula 1: Is the Radical Rear Wing Responsible for the Team’s Lead?

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The Toyota bZ4X Is Coming for the Hyundai Kona Electric

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Toyota’s bZ4X electric SUV is coming to crush the Hyundai Kona electric. Toyota has consistently produced one of the best compact SUVs annually with the Toyota RAV4. Now, as electric SUVs become more common, competition for the top spot is stiff. Toyota has produced many amazing hybrid models, but it has yet to produce an electric SUV. The bZ4X is coming straight for the top spot.

The Toyota bZ4X will change the electric SUV game

The Toyota bZ4X | VCG via Getty Images

Toyota has been a pioneer in experimenting with clean and alternative energy fuel sources for its vehicles. The “bZ” badge, or Beyond Zero, is the designation of a whole new battery-electric lineup for Toyota. The Toyota bZ4X SUV will lead the way as the very first mass-produced Toyota electric SUV.

The bZ4x isn’t just coming to hold the door open for Toyota’s massive new EV lineup, it’s coming for the top spot. Electric SUVs aren’t common, but the few that are on the market have made a big splash. New models such as the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Hyundai Kona Electric have wowed consumers.

Luckily, Toyota knows a thing or two about making a good SUV. It also happens to have lots of experience with electric powertrains. The Toyota bZ4X is scheduled to be sold internationally in 2022.

The Toyota bZ4X looks more like a Lexus than a typical Toyota model because of its futuristic design. It is expected to have at least 250 miles of driving range at full power and be capable of fast charging. According to MotorTrend, the bZ4X is estimated to start at around $36,000.

The Hyundai Kona Electric has made a name for itself

The Hyundai Kona Electric | Hyundai

It’s an interesting time for Korean automaker Hyundai. Hyundai has adapted to the evolving automotive industry and included great hybrid powertrain options for some of its most popular nameplates. The 2022 Hyundai Tuscon’s redesign looks amazing. Finally, its Hyundai Kona model has been making major waves in the industry.

The Hyundai Kona has been around for less than five years and has already become a favorite compact SUV among consumers. The Hyundai Kona Electric has been praised for its resemblance to the gas-powered Kona. It provides the same great handling and has an estimated driving range of 258 miles on a single charge.

Starting at around $35,000, the Kona Electric is one of the best electric SUVs currently on the market. With the Hyundai Ioniq 5 on the horizon, Toyota’s bZ4X has to be a hit if it wants to be a contender in the electric SUV space.

How the Toyota bZ4X can outshine the Hyundai Kona Electric

The Toyota bZ4X | VCG via Getty Images

The Toyota bZ4X is already expected to have a similar battery range to the Hyundai Kona Electric. Details about its powertrain have yet to be released. The Toyota bZ4X can overtake the Hyundai Kona Electric because of its interior.

The Hyundai Kona Electric isn’t known for being the most spacious or comfortable compact SUV. The Toyota bZ4X, on the other hand, looks like its cabin was designed for a luxury model. The bZ4X will have to rely on its futuristic exterior and refined cabin to douse the Kona Electric’s growing spark. If consumers begin to choose the bZ4X over the Kona Electric, it can move on to compete against real juggernauts like the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

RELATED: Is the Hyundai Kona Electric Better Than the Regular Kona?

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The Pandemic Has Broken the U.S. Auto Industry of a Bad Habit, AutoNation CEO Says

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Cars are a necessity, and 2020 showed how quickly things could go wrong for the automotive industry. One of the main issues automakers are facing is, of course, the chip shortage, but it probably won’t last forever. Indeed, the auto industry could actually emerge from the crisis with better habits than before.

How the chip shortage happened 

Toyota car dealership | JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

The COVID-19 pandemic caused disruptions worldwide, but one of the larger business disruptions happened in semiconductor chips. These chips are vital for modern cars and electronics. But in the early days of the pandemic, automakers saw that nobody was buying cars. So they canceled their orders for chips. But when consumers began buying cars again, automakers suddenly didn’t have enough chips to put in their vehicles.

This problem grew worse due to other unforeseen issues, such as a fire at a factory, the massive winter storm that hit the U.S. in early 2021, and a drought in Taiwan. As a result of those complications, there are not enough chips to go around. In fact, automakers are looking at losing over $100 billion because of this chip shortage when all is said and done.

That’s a lot of money for automakers to lose, but it won’t last forever. Eventually, more chips will arrive, and the shortage will end. In addition, a bad habit that many American automakers had could also be over, thanks to the chip shortage.

The U.S. auto industry might finally stop overproducing cars

“The industry has understood that overproduction and excessive inventories as the old model is not where they want to be,” AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson told Bloomberg. “I really think there’s a new strategy going forward.”

As the word implies, overproduction saw automakers making more cars than consumers actually wanted to buy.

Since there were more cars than people who wanted them, automakers would use incentives to get those cars to dealers. Those incentives can be a bad thing, for automakers at least. But, of course, because there aren’t enough chips to make as many cars as automakers want to make, it’s difficult to overproduce now. However, due to the chip shortage, prices of new cars have also increased.

According to Jackson, automakers stopped offering those incentives, and as such, the current average price paid for a new car is $40,000. For reference, that price would be equal to some luxury cars not that long ago. Despite that high average price, sales and revenues are up for automakers and retailers such as AutoNation, Bloomberg reports. So even without overproduction, automakers are making a lot of money, and that’s a valuable lesson to learn.

Overproduction has been a bad habit in the auto industry

Though overproduction can be complicated, it’s not a new habit. One of the main causes of overproduction concerns the relationship between automakers and dealerships, Lean Blog reports. Because automakers “recognize revenue” when their cars ship to dealerships, it makes sense to deliver tons of cars to dealers, even if those cars aren’t in high demand.

There are other causes for overproduction, but they produce the same result: many extra cars that need to be sold. That’s why Fiat-Chrysler ended up overproducing about 70,000 cars in 2019. The result of that situation ultimately hurt the automaker’s profit margin. But if manufacturers stop overproduction as Jackson predicts, situations like that could be history.

RELATED: Don’t Worry About the Chip Shortage: These Used Mazda CX-5 Models Cost Under $20,000

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