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External Airbag Designed to Protect Pedestrians

Posted by samzenpus on from the safe-at-any-speed dept.

Thanks to researchers at Cranfield University, you don't have to feel bad when you plow into a group of pedestrians who are crossing the street too slowly. They have designed an external airbag that mounts to your hood at the base of the windshield. Research shows that this is the area where a pedestrian's head is most likely to hit in an accident. "Test results indicate that the system works extremely well. When fitted to a demonstrator vehicle not originally designed with pedestrian protection in mind, the results were well inside all current legal criteria for pedestrian protection currently in force in Europe," Roger Hardy of the university's Cranfield Impact Centre said.

6 of 253 comments (clear)

  1. Cowcatchers by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 5, Funny

    What we really need are cowcatchers, like on trains, so that the pedestrians don't get stuck under the wheels and jam them. :-)

    --
    Bruce Perens.
    1. Re:Cowcatchers by Locke2005 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Man, do you know what a pain it is to clean pedestrian off the grille of your car?!?

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  2. Re:...Not originally designed... by Chris+Burke · · Score: 5, Funny

    Actually, it pales in comparison to the #1 advance for "pedestrian protection", DON'T F-ING HIT THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE!

    Sorry, but the idea that ricocheting a pedestrian from my hood into something else (presumably something without an airbag) seems absurd.

    And I find your suggestion to not plow into pedestrians equally absurd. How else am I going to rack up combo bonus points?

    Also, obviously the goal is to have as many cars as possible with these air bags on them, so the pedestrian won't just bounce off my car into another air-bagless car and die, but instead will be bounced again and again from car to car until harmlessly tossed onto the grass, where they will doubtless jump up and shout in child-like glee "Again! Again!" And I'll get like 10,000 points for a 40-bounce combo. Looks like a win-win scenario to me. Why Luddites like you are against using technology to make life more awesome, I'll never know.

    --

    The enemies of Democracy are
  3. Iron Spike by Bigbutt · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What I really want is an iron spike in the center of the steering wheel. Then the people who should be driving instead of [pick the distraction] would actually pay attention to the task at hand.

    [John]

    --
    Shit better not happen!
  4. Re:...Not originally designed... by robably · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think you need to go outside more often.

    What? This is Slashdot, news for nerds. You need to stay inside more often.

  5. Re:Ok ? by Sam36 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sir how dare you. Everyday I worry about my unintelligent 16 year old daughter driving. I owed it to myself to make sure that she has the biggest vehicle that I can afford so that she can stay safe on the road. We all have feelings sir. And you sir are a bigot. And probably a republican too since you like to tell people how to live. Communist.