Abstract: Disclosed is a bumper beam formed of a plurality of elongate sections. The sections are formed of composite material comprising both longitudinal fibers and random fibers embedded within a resin matrix. The longitudinal fibers extend continuously between the opposing ends of the bumper beam with their longitudinal axes being substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the beam. The random fibers have their longitudinal axes randomly oriented with respect to the longitudinal axis of the beam. The longitudinal fibers comprise 70-85% of the total weight of the longitudinal and random fibers. The cross-sectional shapes of the sections are such that when subjected to the stresses induced by a collision, the outermost sections will tend to deflect in the lateral direction.