Are Newer Cars Really Safer?

One statement I’ve heard a lot of over a period of years is “I’d rather be in an old car in an accident because it’s made of real metal.”  While this statement is true, older cars were made with some pretty thick metal, the safety of the older car is not necessarily better.  Today’s cars are actually designed to crush in an accident.  The manufacturers are building cars with crush zones so when they are in an accident the crush zone will absorb much of the impact and not the person inside the car. These crush zones are built in various places on the car which in turn helps keep the driver’s compartment safer in an accident.  Many driver compartments are also being built with High Strength Steel known as “HSS.”  High Strength Steel is much stronger than that of average metal.  These areas with HSS also provide a lot more protection for the driver and passengers.  Besides the crush zones and HSS we also have our air bags.  For years now we have had airbags in the steering wheel and in the dash which provide a great deal of protection, but now newer cars are equipped with air bags that may drop from the headliner or air bags that are built in the seats.  All of these air bags help prevent head trauma when deployed.  There is a great video on YouTube titled Crash Test 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air vs. a 2009 Chevy Malibu.  This video shows a great example of how the newer car absorbs the impact keeping the driver safe while the test dummy in the older car is completely crushed.