First of all, getting hit by a car is probably going to hurt. A lot. But now, Volvo has come up with safety features to help pedestrians who fling themselves in front of cars. It's showing off its V40 compact hatchback's ground breaking pedestrian airbag.

Developed as part of the Swedish automaker's somewhat unrealistic goal that "no-one should be killed or injured in a new Volvo by 2020", the V40's pedestrian air-bag promises to significantly reduce the risks of head injuries.

"We are proud to be able to offer a car with an airbag for pedestrians," says Thomas Broberg, Senior Technical Advisor Safety at Volvo Car Corporation. "The purpose of the airbag is to help protect pedestrians in certain situations when they impact the bonnet and the area around the windscreen wiper recess and A-pillar, where there may be a risk of serious head injuries."

In Europe, 14 percent of traffic fatalities are pedestrians, while in the U.S.A., the figure is 12 percent and in China, 25 percent.

Seven sensors in the front end of the car transmit signals to a control unit which evaluates them and when necessary, raises the rear end of the bonnet by 100mm using pyrotechnic release mechanisms and that deploys an airbag to create a dampening effect when hit by a pedestrian.

"The airbag has two functions," explains Broberg. "Firstly, it raises the bonnet to create distance, and secondly it cushions the impact around the hard parts of the area near the windscreen."