Car Crash Safety: What a Difference Fifty Years Makes

We have previously discussed the effect of such modern auto safety technologies as air bags and anti-lock brakes. An interesting video from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows why a picture is worth a thousand words. The video involving a head-on collision between two Chevrolets, one a 2009 Malibu and the other a 1959 Bel Air, is stunning.
http://www.iihs.org/50th/default.html

The crash of the vehicles is shown from many points of view. One can easily discern that the 2009 car while badly damaged, protects its driver with a host of modern safety innovations. Most noteworthy is that the passenger compartment in the 1959 car was destroyed and in the 2009 car remained intact.

It is obvious from the video that the safety belts, air bags and front engine compartment crumple zones, work together to maximize the protection of the modern-day driver. The devastation wrought on the 1959 driver is tremendous.
 
The crash conducted  with both vehicles traveling at forty miles per hour, should vindicate once and for all that the modern safety improvements are invaluable.

It should also remind the motoring public that the American auto companies, which taxpayers so recently bailed out, have resisted each of these safety improvements along the way. Their argument has been that the safety technologies (seat belts, air bags, anti-skid controls, you name it) will increase the cost of their vehicles thereby decreasing sales.

The reality is that safety has become a major selling-point with modern cars. The enthusiasm of the public for safer cars has driven both premium brands like Lexus and Mercedes, and budget brands like Hyundai and Kia, to feature more safety items than their competitors in effort to drive sales.

So, next time someone tells you don't need modern auto safety items watch the video, you'll want them.