An airbag safety restraint for a motor vehicle

The restraint (2, 3) comprises a curtain-type airbag (4) which is housed, in a folded, stowage configuration, in a housing (5) formed in the passenger compartment roof, and which can be inflated in order to adopt a configuration in which it is unfolded downwards as a result of the activation of an associated gas generator (6). The housing (5) and the airbag (4) stowed therein extend along an angled or arcuate line (5) partially along a longitudinal edge of the passenger compartment roof and partially transversely relative to the longitudinal edge. The airbag (4) includes a lower tubular element (4d) which, when inflated, can contract longitudinally in a manner such that, in the inflated and unfolded condition, it brings about a shortening of the lower portion of the airbag (4) and is disposed substantially along a diagonal or a chord, at an inclination to the longitudinal axis of the motor vehicle.