Automotive components and parts supplier Toyoda Gosei, headquartered in Kiyosu, Japan, has developed a pedestrian protection airbag that will protect the head of anyone hit hit by a vehicle.

Among traffic accidents in Japan, the highest mortality rate is seen in those involving pedestrians. The main cause of death in these accidents is head injury.

The pedestrian protection airbag covers the rigid parts of the vehicle, such as the front pillars, where the likelihood of fatal injury is the highest. The internal pressure is adjusted to the optimum level for each part of the vehicle covered, mitigating impacts to the head.

The new airbag will first be used on the Subaru Legacy Outback models for Japan which has just been launched.

www.toyoda-gosei.com