TEE HEE HEE !
Why would they? People didn’t drive any better in the decades before we had designed-in safety systems to reduce the number of deaths we caused.
Maybe it’s the other way around - perhaps the thought of a £3000 repair bill for running into someone will concentrate people’s minds a bit. 
Valid point Martin, but is it always the car drivers fault when an accident involving a pedestrian or cyclist occurs ?
These days, road safety is not taught in schools anymore, neither are there road safety films / adverts on TV every day, like there used to be when I was young. So there are probably thousands of people walking the streets in the 21st century, having had no road safety training at all. OK, so much of it is common sense, but…
I’ve been driving and seen children simply run out into the road, with no thought or idea about what they are doing - if they had been instructed on how to behave on the roads, many such accidents might not happen at all - it might just make them think !
And please don’t get me started on the dumb things that cyclists do on the road. The way they weave in and out of traffic, even on large busy multi-lane roundabouts is incredible - I’m sure some think they are invincible.
Go for it, run the buggers over…
(Used your post to make my point Chris, I don’t think any more words were needed)
Good one, really helpful.
And the answer is…?
Hi, no real update as such at the moment. Mazda’s approved repair centre still have my vehicle and are still yet to produce an estimate/quote for the repairs required. They’ve only had my car since Thursday and I have called every day (except Saturday & Sunday) for any update.
Mazda UK are still yet to get back to me with a definitive answer, so there still may be some hope but we shall see.
With regards to the speeds & impact location. I was travelling approx 29 mph due to just passing some traffic lights when I saw the wheel trim coming towards my car and I slowed to about 20-25 mph as I couldn’t slam the brakes on due to a van being pretty close behind me. It impacted my car in what looks like the region of just below the centre to right hand side of my number plate. The wheel trim itself actually got stuck between the front scoop recess and the road.
I will let you know any updates.
To satisfy my curiosity I logged on to Miata.net. Just been referred to this thread, which was started by the Australian mentioned above. https://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=614571
Apparently they don’t have the active bonnet (hood) in the States, described by one as ‘Nannyness’ (included to agree with that term.) However, other comments from Europe and Oz, including mention of Roos in Oz, and Deer in Pennsylvania (PA) and ‘up north’ (Canada) - Moose - of which I’m well aware. Drivers have been killed by a Moose hit - they can weigh at least half a ton. If you drive in Northern Ontario you need bull bars for safety.
There’s also a photo of the Australian car with the bonnet activated - damage to the bonnet doesn’t seem bad enough to me, but it’s not a good photo.It’s not clear how much has to be replaced on the bonnet, so wondering if the hinges are bolted or welded to the bonnet and therefor the whole shebang needs replacement?
Also, from some comments on the link, it sounds like the bonnet is steel, not aluminium - is this so? Apparently manual instructions say you should slam shut the bonnet - a No No on earlier cars, - it deforms the bonnet.
Not always, no. But does blame really matter? Having seen a couple of times pedestrians get their legs knocked out from under them, spun over like skittles and slammed down on a car’s bonnet, it seems to me that irrespective of whose fault it is, if I ever did that to someone with any generation of MX-5 I’d need a new bonnet, whereas for the pedestrian an active bonnet could be the difference between a sore head and a fractured skull. On a coldly practical note, if they survive you can always sue them for the repairs. I wouldn’t dare sue the estate of a dead person for repairs to the car that killed them. 
I absolutely do understand the anger caused by an inappropriate firing of this system, wrecking a bonnet for no good reason, but is having this fitted much different to having airbags or indeed crumple zones? (I remember when those came in people resented the notion that cars were going to be more expensive to repair because you’d have to replace panels instead of just hammering the bumper back into shape.)
Oh. nearly forgot - Another Oz driver (who hit a kaoloa) says the repair will be around A$ 6,000, but the first said he was told by the dealer that if Mazda hadn’t stepped forward, it might have been A$35,000.
So yes, my stupid estimate was way off base. Seems the car is around A$42,000 new.
I would suggest legoman sends the Miata.net link to Mazda UK, if it does any good.
Re bonnet material. I’ve just done a “magnet” test on my ND and neither the bonnet or boot lid are magnetic. In fact the only (Visible) bits that seem to be magnetic are the doors, the panels over the rear wheels and the panel behind the hood, in front of the boot lid. I that what other ND owners find?
Question for Roger - So it looks like both bonnet and boot lid are aluminium? I always understood that on previous Mk’s the bonnet was Aluminium, and the boot lid was light gauge steel, and that neither should be slammed shut, of they could be deformed. So what does your manual say, when closing either?
Previous general advice was lower the lid,(both) and then press it firmly down at front (or back) center edge to engage the latch.Does your manual says “Slam shut”?
One good reason for not slamming the bonnet is that the alarm switch on earlier cars relies on the bonnet being closed carefully, where slamming it would eventually knock the switch out of position - possible reason why people often report alarm problems on earlier models? The securing bracket that holds the switch in place is not exactly what I’d call ‘robust’. No idea if this holds true for Mk3’ or Mk4’s.?
Question for Roger - So it looks like both bonnet and boot lid are aluminium? I always understood that on previous Mk’s the bonnet was Aluminium, and the boot lid was light gauge steel, and that neither should be slammed shut, of they could be deformed. So what does your manual say, when closing either?
Previous general advice was lower the lid,(both) and then press it firmly down at front (or back) center edge to engage the latch.Does your manual says “Slam shut”?
One good reason for not slamming the bonnet is that the alarm switch on earlier cars relies on the bonnet being closed carefully, where slamming it would eventually knock the switch out of position - possible reason why people often report alarm problems on earlier models? The securing bracket that holds the switch in place is not exactly what I’d call ‘robust’. No idea if this holds true for Mk3’ or Mk4’s.?
I’m sure most drivers (me included) would feel devastated if they hit a pedestrian (or a cyclist) whilst out driving, as these road users are more vulnerable than us sitting in our cars. However, because they are more vulnerable, don’t you think they should be more careful and vigilant when using the roads - be more wary of what else is going on around them, especially when crossing a road ? They are not always blameless you know. Every day I see people (mostly youngsters it must be said) swaying down a pavement, fiddling with their mobile phones, and not taking a blind bit of notice of what is going on around them, and often step off into the road to cross it, oblivious to what traffic is coming.
I am not resistant to safety features built into my car to help protect its occupants should anything untoward happen (airbags etc), but I am not happy about a feature built into my car, that could cost me thousands to repair should some idiot walk out in front of me, whilst basically jaywalking.
Martin, your idea about suing an errant pedestrian should they prove to be at fault and cause an accident (whether they are injured or not ?) is an interesting one - I wonder if it has ever been done .
All I’m saying is that pedestrians (and cyclists) should take responsibility for their own actions and conduct, and people should not always assume that the car driver is always and unequivocally at fault.
This ‘active bonnet’ system is another way to make our cars safer, should they hit a pedestrian (remember the introduction of rubber bumpers in the 1970s ?), but this always assumes that the said pedestrian is never responsible for himself, and is blameless in case of an accident.
Hi Gerry. Can’t find anything about closing the bonnet or boot in the handbook, but the dealer told me when I got it that if you let either of them “drop” from no more than 12"/30cm they will close without damage, but if you “drop” from a greater height, or “slam” them down that would (eventually) cause damage, bending or warping, so would “pushing” them shut he said. I now do what he said automatically, it works and there’s no problems.
Chris. I think that you’ve made a very valid point.
Whoops, sorry legoman, we seem to have gone off topic.
The only time I didn’t slam my bonnet (I usually drop it shut rather than press it shut) it pinged open on a dual carriageway doing about 60mph.
Nothing wrong with the catch, I’m guessing that one time it didn’t catch properly…
Probably more likely to put them out of shape (well the top surface) pushing them shut rather than letting it drop shut. Same with the boot lid too.
Sorry to say, but to me this sounds like it has done exactly what it is meant to and you are the victim of an unlucky incident.
You are very much at “city” speed, the speed you could fully expect a pedestrian impact and this wheel trim has hit the car in exactly the place that it would hit legs and the sensors have detected it as a single localised strike and acted on this. It is not great at all for you, but it would be hard to see this as a defect or spurious activation.
Why does blame matter?
OK, perhaps ‘blame’ is an inappropriate word - maybe ‘responsibility’ would be better.
All I’m trying to do is put a car-drivers point of view. If people didn’t walk out in front of cars - they would not get run over, and there would be no need for such contraptions as the active bonnet.
Right I’m gonna stop digging now - I can tell when the hole is deep enough
Nick -Ah! - but have you read the Australian report, where he just drove onto a garage forecourt to refuel? He claims no bumps, no hits, just BANG. (Bonnet deployed) Add this to other ND problems (including gearbox issues) and other reports on Miata.net and the car has some serious issues. And we used to think the NBFL Clutch was the worst problem we’d had.
America is well known for ambulance chasers, Auto related litigation, and pedestrian accidents, but then apparently Mazda has decided not to fit the active bonnet to NA cars, why? Seemingly down to ‘The Nanny State’ where EU inspired legislation has meant Mazda feels the need to comply. Apparently Jaguar has also done so - but what about other European sports cars, Ferrari, Lambo, to name just a couple of fast, low cars.?
And how come Oz also gets the feature - does other Eastern countries - including Japan.?
I agree with what others on here and Miata say - educate pedestrians. Next question - wait for silent electric cars - - – - (oh, but they’ll either stop or take avoiding action - – - ?)
Whats desperately needed for all those mobile phone and tablet uses - a pop up warning while they are walking (GPS related) “LOOK WHERE YOU ARE GOING”. There almost nothing as stupid as people. They’ve banned using phones etc while driving, how about when walking?
And how about supermarket phone shoppers, who stand in the middle of the aisle blocking passage while their partner at home decides “Do they want Brand A,B,C,D, or unbranded product?”. That’s apart from the ones who walk into you anywhere, as they are reading text messages. And these idiots are allowed away from a cage?
Even a well trained dog needs to be on a lead. Nuff said.