1959 Chevrolet Bel Air vs. 2009 Chevrolet Malibu IIHS crash test

IIHS 50th anniversary demonstration test • September 9, 2009

In the 50 years since US insurers organized the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, car crashworthiness has improved. Demonstrating this was a crash test conducted between a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air and a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. In a real-world collision similar to this test, occupants of the new model would fare much better than in the vintage Chevy.

"It was night and day, the difference in occupant protection," says Institute president Adrian Lund. "What this test shows is that automakers don't build cars like they used to. They build them better."

The crash test was conducted at an event to celebrate the contributions of auto insurers to highway safety progress over 50 years. Beginning with the Institute's 1959 founding, insurers have maintained the resolve, articulated in the 1950s, to "conduct, sponsor, and encourage programs designed to aid in the conservation and preservation of life and property from the hazards of highway accidents."

[geoffdrew]

As a Firefighter I was called to an accident which turned out to be a head on collision between 60's model Chrysler and a 2000 model Subaru. The Chrysler looked to have held up pretty good but the driver was taken to hospital with life threatening injuries. The Subaru was totalled back to the windscreen yet the mother and daughter in the car walked away without a scratch.

[jasonayres]

I think the general consensus is that we're grieving for the loss of the Bel Air.

[steelcladgamer]

"They don't make 'em like they used to."
"Yeah, here's why."

[puppiesarepower]

My dad once told me of a relative who was in a crash in the late 1960s, and was in fact driving a Bel-Aire. He said that the man's organs were pushed upwards in the crash due to the man hitting the steering wheel. He was taken to medical facility in San Antonio where surgery saved the man's life.
New cars warp easily, but this shows the purpose for that.

[lucianene]

I can't believe they destroyed such a future classic like the 2009 Malibu.

[dashriprock]

The guy in the Bel Air looked really really cool while crashing

[bdb]

This video is spot on. I've been a volunteer Firefighter and Advanced Life Support Tech for almost 3 decades. When I started most vehicles were late 1970"s, 1980's, and early 90's. if I cut someone out of a pre mid1990's car it was definitely a recovery because I had a corpse. Cars built after mid/late 1990's cars 50/50 death and critical condition trauma. After 2000's there have been significant improvements in survival and injury reduction. Wrecks That I cut people out of today 85% -90 are serious to severe injuries betwene 10%-15 are fatal.

[rjeffbateman]

The steering wheel coming at the Bel Air driver was freaking scary! Holy crap that thing almost hit the drivers seat it was so displaced. Good thing the drivers face was checking out the volt meter on the dashboard.

[ofermashiach]

We've gone real far in terms of car safety. Back then they thought that massive amounts of steel and long hoods would do the trick. The difference of interior damage between the two cars is insane.

[hicks]

When I was 5 and my mom had to run errands she would take me along in our 1965 Ford whatever and the front seat child restraint was her right arm.

[MISTERLeSkid]

I remember as a country-boy teenager in the early 80s, guys would buy 60s & 70s big cars as their first ride. I also remember the shocking number of funerals held for young accident victims, drivers and passengers. The simple fact of the matter is that today, we can walk-away from a twisted wreck, now that cars are engineered to protect the occupants in the event of an accident.

[jefflundquist]

A roll cage, shoulder belts, and a collapsible steering shaft joint are the best safety upgrades you can do in a classic car.

[sanjayahlawat]

Its amazing how the efforts of improvement in safety have made progress over the years. Changing the concept from the 'strong car' that killed it's passenger to the car with the 'safety compartment/ cage'' where the car is deformed but the contents of the safety cage ie the passengers suffer much less harm and are likely to survive as was evident in this clip.

[biffgc]

Send this to all the old timers that think that the older, big, heavy, metal cars built like tanks are safer than modern engineered cars. The entire cabin crumpled in on the driver in the Bel air, but it barely moved for the Malibu. <3 engineers!

[CoachAndrewV]

can we all take a moment of silence for that poor Bel Air

[lerags]

If the furry dice in the Bel air were bigger they would act as an air bag.

[warholscircus]

They made all these improvements to cars right when I was about to get my license. They saw me coming, and decided to protect you all. You're welcome.

[bonzology]

One walks away severely shaken up, one’s carted away in a body bag, amazing technology to absorb that kind of energy

[beh]

Pity about using the Chevy, but it does show how much safety has improved. The improved road toll statistics speak volumes. (For Australia) in 1959 there was 85 road fatalities for every 100, 000 vehicles, in 2014 it was down to 4.5 per 100, 000.

[bcarter]

NO Maverick, Pinto or Edsel was harmed in the making of tis video.... unfortuneately