A new Volvo car has an airbag for pedestrians. Car airbags have saved the lives of many drivers and their passengers over the years.Now, Volvo has developed an innovative airbag geared at saving pedestrians as well.The Volvo V40 is classified as the first car with a pedestrian airbag and it recently became available in Australia. Utilizing sensors in the front bumper, they detect impact if a pedestrian has been struck.A large U-shaped airbag is then deployed between the hood and the windshield. Only taking milliseconds to fully inflate, the goal is to prevent head injuries, the lead cause of fatalities in pedestrian deaths. The Pedestrian Council of Australia is thrilled with the new technology, however it’s pricy for car owners, as the new airbag system costs approximately $3,000 to replace. Volvo seems to be one of the leaders in car safety.The company introduced the world’s first three-point seatbelt. In 1999, Volvo developed what we know today as smart airbags, which take the speed of impact, weight of the driver and impact angle into account to automatically adjust the force of the deployment. The carmaker was also the first to introduce side airbags deployed from the seat back, followed by air curtains to provide head protection in the event of side impact collisions.