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I don't see the concept of external airbags as viable for the following reasons.
The cost and complexity would be fought hard against by the automakers lobbyists.
Timing the airbag deployment would be nearly impossible. For example, car - deer collisions rarely trigger the passenger compartment airbags. The triggering would have to be so sensitive that it would create its own hazard by creating a condition of deployment that would likely trigger the airbags in non pedestrian collisions and obscure the drivers vision with the airbags creating a hazardous condition. The TV advertising lawyers would be lined up.
As CAFE standards continue to go higher, windshield rake goes lower. With each passing model year, a struck pedestrian is more likely to go over than through a windshield.
As bicycling has become more encouraged and mainstream, infrastructure for bicyclists has been increasing in many areas. States and cities are taking advantage of Federal grant money to create bicycle lanes and pathways and this trend will undoubtedly continue helping to separate the disparate transportation modes.
Just as the penalties for drunk driving have become more severe and as a result have reduced collisions, penalties for distracted driving (handheld cell devices) are beginning to follow suit. The penalties should also apply to distracted pedestrians as they are every bit as culpable in collisions.
As Darwin theorists and insurance actuarials all know, some fatal stupidity is just going to happen and we have to accept that. There is a certain percentage that all the engineering in the world can't fix.
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