Old Car Vs. New Car. Surprising Results From Crash Test

I found this very interesting article in The Wall Street Journal, and I think it will clarify our ideas about old cars safety features because surprisingly in this particular crash test the older car's structure proves weak compared with the modern model. Safety technology has made modern cars more crashworthy. Modern cars are much more safer than old cars. They are specially designed with safety technology to protect the passengers in crash situations.

If you need a car, try to buy a new one. Remember, always drive safely.

By Jonathan Welsh
They don't build cars like they used to -- and passengers are safer as a result.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently conducted a crash test between a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu and a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air. The test shows how safety technology has made cars more crashworthy.

This is an uneven match in part because the 1959 Chevrolet, like most cars of the era, doesn't have the simplest seat belts. Air bags, crumple zones and other energy-absorbing features were also decades away. But even the older car's structure proves weak compared with the modern model. The old Bel Air's body buckles severely. It loses its windshield, the driver's door opens and the rigid steering column rams the test-dummy driver. The 2009 Malibu holds together and protects its driver well enough to get the insurance group's top rating.

The accompanying link shows the video with several views of the crash and the resulting damage.

http://online.wsj.com/video/chevy-crash-test-1959-bel-air--vs-2009-malibu/81C56182-07AA-490A-BB32-60391DE4035D.html


Courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.