Coming to the EU: Airbags for Pedestrians

In a bid to cut pedestrian traffic deaths in half by 2010, the EU is thinking outside the box — in fact, outside the car. Experts say external airbags designed to protect pedestrians could reduce head injuries by 90 percent and upper body injuries by half. Since over 80 percent of traffic fatalities occur when a head and a windshield collide, pedestrian airbags could be a very effective way to reach the EU's goal.

Engineer Jens Bovenkerk of the Institute of Automotive Engineering in Aachen told Deutsche Welle how it would work:

"An airbag could be fitted externally between the bonnet and the windshield and would be released on impact were there a collision between a car and a pedestrian," he said.

The airbag would be triggered by sensors in the bumper of the car. As with a standard airbag, it would inflate in less than a tenth of a second by the equivalent of a solid rocket booster.

In a similar process, sodium azide and potassium nitrate would react rapidly to produce a large pulse of hot nitrogen gas. This inflates the bag, which literally bursts out of its position as it expands. Stored between the hood and the windshield, it would be able to halt a human body before the head had time to hit the window.

Toyota has perfected a pedestrian airbag already. Other auto makers remain skeptical — and are unlikely to assume the added cost-per-vehicle voluntarily. But with 4,600 pedestrians dying each year, the EU is determined. Experts expect pedestrian airbags to be compulsory in Europe by 2008.

Source: Deutsche Welle, Institut für Kraftfahrwesen Aachen