the depicted embodiment is to be understood as illustrative of the invention and not as limiting in any way . it should also be understood that the figure is not necessarily to scale and that the embodiments are sometimes illustrated by graphic symbols , phantom lines , diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views . in certain instances , details which are not necessary for an understanding of the present invention or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted . turning now to the drawing , and in particular to fig1 , there is shown a schematic illustration of a motor vehicle , generally designated by reference numeral 10 and having incorporated therein a road user protection system according to the present invention . the motor vehicle 10 includes by way of example a window airbag which when deployed causes a control device to autonomously activate an operational brake of the motor vehicle 10 and thereby implement an emergency braking action . the motor vehicle 10 includes at least one sensor 12 which generates a signal for transmission to a control device 14 . the sensor 12 may be configured for detecting vehicle - based parameters and involve , for example , an accelerator sensor or pressure sensor , for detecting an imminent collision or impact . the sensor 12 may also be configured to ascertain an intrusion of an obstacle into the motor vehicle 10 and to transmit a respective signal to the control device 14 . in addition or as an alternative , the sensor 12 may also be configured as a forward - looking device which processes images to generate a signal indicating a warning of an imminent collision . other examples of a sensor 12 may include those using radar or infrared radiation to detect an obstacle ahead of the motor vehicle 10 . arrow 16 designates in fig1 a travel direction of the motor vehicle . when the control device 14 determines as a result of analyzing the signals of the at least one sensor 12 that an impact of the motor vehicle 10 with an unprotected road user such as a pedestrian or bicycle rider is imminent , the control device 14 causes a deployment of a protection device , e . g . a window airbag 18 , which then covers solid regions of the vehicle front and at least part of the front window of the motor vehicle 10 . as a result , the road user is protected against injury in the event of a collision with the engine hood and / or the front window of the motor vehicle 10 . to further improve the protection of a road user in the event of a collision , the control device 14 is further operably connected with a service brake 20 to act on the wheels 22 of the motor vehicle 10 . the control device 14 sends an activation signal to the service brake 20 when the protection device 18 is rendered operational through transmission of a trigger signal from the control device 14 . thus , an autonomous emergency braking action is initiated by the control device 14 through operation of the service brake 20 at the same time the window airbag 18 is deployed . as a result , the travel speed of the motor vehicle 10 is significantly decreased . the combination of deployment of the protection device 18 and engagement of an emergency braking action greatly diminishes the risk of injury in the event of a collision of the motor vehicle 10 with a road user . furthermore , the risk that the unprotected road user is run over by the motor vehicle 10 after collision with the motor vehicle is also reduced . slowing down the travel speed of the motor vehicle 10 through activation of the service brake 20 generally lowers also the danger of a secondary collision of the motor vehicle with a road user other than the unprotected road user that was hit first . this also reduces the risk of injury for vehicle occupants of the motor vehicle 10 . when the motor vehicle 10 travels in an urban environment , a travel speed of for example about 40 km / h can be decreased when the control device 14 activates the service brake 20 . at the reduced travel speed of the motor vehicle 10 , the severity of a possible secondary collision with other road users is much less . the motor vehicle 10 can be brought to a complete halt by the autonomous emergency braking via the service brake 20 depending on the travel speed . the control device 14 can be configured to trigger deployment of the protection device , e . g . window airbag 18 , as a function of an algorithm and to transmit a signal to a controller of the service brake 20 in dependence on the decision to trigger the protection device 18 so as to command engagement of the service brake 20 . the decision to trigger the protection device 18 may also be used to deploy the protection device 18 and to activate the autonomous emergency braking . in other words , the control device 14 generates a signal that contains both control commands , i . e . deployment of the protection device 18 , e . g . window air bag through ignition of a gas generator of the window airbag , and activation of the service brake 20 . in particular , when the sensor 12 or a further sensor are configured to monitor the surroundings ahead of the motor vehicle 10 , as viewed in travel direction 16 , the service brake 20 may be preconditioned in the event of an imminent collision , for example by increasing a brake pressure . as a result , the service brake 20 reacts faster to a signal transmitted by the control device 14 in order to initiate the emergency braking action . while the invention has been illustrated and described in connection with currently preferred embodiments shown and described in detail , it is not intended to be limited to the details shown since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit and scope of the present invention . the embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and practical application to thereby enable a person skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated .