In a vehicle occupant protection system, a first tether is permanently fastened to a front panel of the airbag and is detachably fixed to an actuator unit on the module side. A second tether is arranged on the module side and is connected to the first tether, wherein in an extension of the second tether there is provided a decoupling arrangement which is located between the second tether and the first tether only when the actuator unit is activated.