Although in high speed wrecks that crash bar doesn't do much, you'd be amazed on how much structural integrity it actually has for a front end hit. With it bolted into the "frame rails" as you hit it, it causes the force to expand towards the fenders, rather than towards the driver. I was a body guy for a while, and straightening a car that had the crash bar vs without was quite a bit different. That being said, the amount of metal left on that crash bar isn't going to do anything in the event of any crash. It's far to flimsy, basically any cut more than half way into the crash bar ruins it's structure, so you're not getting protected any better.