There’s really no good reason for a car to collide with anything—especially not a cyclist or pedestrian. But in the unfortunate event that it does, a car like the 2025 Subaru Forester might just help reduce the odds of a fatal outcome. How? With a U-shaped airbag that deploys from the upper edge of the hood to cushion cyclists on impact.
You might be thinking, “Wait, haven’t I seen this before?” And you’d be right. This is an evolution of the pedestrian airbag Subaru introduced nine years ago. That one also popped out of the hood in a U-shape. So what makes this “world’s first” cyclist airbag any different? Surface area, mostly. This new version extends to cover both A-pillars because, as Subaru’s research found, a cyclist’s head tends to land differently than a pedestrian’s during a crash. So, more coverage = better odds of walking (or biking) away.
Naturally, it can still protect pedestrians—and arguably better than the original pedestrian-only version—so the whole “cyclist airbag” branding does feel a bit like a marketing flex. But hey, labels gonna label.
The U-Shaped Airbag is part of a broader suite of safety features on the 2025 Subaru Forester in Japan. That includes EyeSight, slimmer pillars for better visibility, a digital multi-view monitor to check blind spots while parking, front and side alert assist, steering-linked headlamps, and LED cornering lights for better awareness on winding roads.
For now, though, this airbag is exclusive to the Japanese market. Whether it’ll pop up in Foresters elsewhere? That’s still up in the air—just like the airbag.
Images: Subaru [JP].
Story via The Drive.
