A safety arrangement (1) is located beneath the hood or bonnet (3) of a
motor vehicle and includes an inflatable element (8) which is formed of a
plastically deformable material. A gas generator (14) supplies gas to
inflate the element (8) in response to a signal from a sensor (18) which
is responsive to impact with a pedestrian. The gas generator (14) passes
gas to a chamber (15), and thus through a relatively small aperture (16)
to inflate the element (8) with a gradual inflation. If a pedestrian
strikes the bonnet, the pedestrian will not deform the bonnet and then be
arrested by impact with an engine block or the like, and also the
plastically deformable element (8) will deform to absorb energy.