IIHS’ 50th anniversary bash: 2009 Malibu vs. 1959 Bel Air
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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety turned 50 this week. Did it celebrate by having some friends throw a party? By getting lame birthday cards about being ‘one foot in the grave’? No, it went a traditional route and bought a midlife-crisis-approved 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air, which it then slammed head-on into a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu at a combined speed of 80 miles per hour.
All of you who subscribe to the theory that old cars were safer when manufacturers built them out of steel and old churches should take note.
The Bel Air did not fare so well.
“The dummy’s head struck the steering wheel rim and hub and then the roof and unpadded metal instrument panel to the left of the steering wheel.... The windshield was completely dislodged from the car and the driver door opened during the crash, both presenting a risk of ejection. In addition, the front bench seat was torn away from the floor on the driver side,” the IIHS report states.
As for the Malibu? “A high acceleration was recorded on the left foot, indicating that foot injuries would be possible.”
Check out the video above to see how far we’ve come in 50 years of car safety improvements.
-- J. Mark Sternberg