Abstract: A safety device for a passenger in an automobile comprises a shoulder safety belt extending diagonally across the passenger's body and an energy absorbing impact element located on the vehicle frame adjacent the passenger's knees. The impact element includes two M-shaped sheet metal members arranged one above the other and symmetrical about a plane passing between the members. The legs of each M-shaped member afford two parallel, spaced-apart plates and one face of one of the plates is presented to the passenger's knees. The portion of each M-shaped member intermediate the legs affords a plastically deformable connection between the plates.