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Automotive Interesting

50 years of car safety

How much has car safety come in 50 years? Autoblog has pictures and a video of a crash test between two cars, one a 1959 model and the other from 2009. The result? We’ve come a long way. [Link]

Update: Link fixed!

25 replies on “50 years of car safety”

Intersting, however Volvo’s cars arent as sturdy and rock solid safe as they were during the box-shaped years (80’s, 90’s) contrastingly ‘safe’ cars have more crumple zones and the car’s exterior body is a total wreck in an accident taking the full force of an accident. The steel enforced safe zone frame is more sturdy though. Similar to F1 cars that vapourise at the drop of an hat when a speck hits them…

Overall, we have come a long way but still, knee airbags are not a safety standard yet. My car has 10 airbags in it but no knee protection, which apparently is the highest prone area in any accident, after the whiplash effect. I guess with safety, safe driving still needs to catch up.

Volvo’s cars today are a lot safer than their 80’s and 90’s box designs. Just because a car crumples up more today doesn’t mean its less safer. It crumples up to absorb the accident and thats why you walk out of the car less injuries than you would have 20 years ago.

Mark, Agree with you on the crumple zones. But disagree that Volvos are lot safer than what they were in yester years. If you compare an old volvo to a new one, maybe yes they are safer. But, What I meat was, There are many more safer cars than Volvo now and volvo is no longer an invinsible safety brand anymore. Still ground breaking though, but the monopoly is fading fast. Talkinga bout cars, did you see the Teslas? They have some competitive line up up for grabs soon.Too sad they are not sold here. https://www.teslamotors.com/

I’m no automobile engineer but wouldn’t it be fairer to have both cars crashing into the same brick wall instead of into each other and then compare results?

Regardless, awesome video. And the air bag popping out that quick… :O

All these tests are done at speed of no more than 80 km/h. The problem is the high speed accedents. No car is safe at high speed, although some are better than others, just go to the scrap yard and compare volvos, german brands to other cars. you’ll see the different.

@Kuwaity, most accidents take place at much lower speeds than 80 km/h. But chances of fatalities increase dramatically at higher speeds. That’s why they’re more noticeable in the Local section of newspapers.

And most of these vehicles’ safety features are rendered useless if you don’t have your seatbelt on.

A friend of mine presented a very on-the-face explanation about the importance of seat belts. You’re traveling at 80 km/h and you see the car in front of you suddenly stop, you brake late and hit the car at 60 km/h.

If your seatbelt is fastened, the sudden jerk might break your collar bone at best.

If your seatbelt is not fastened, your car goes from 60 km/h down to 0 km/h in under a second. But you don’t! Inertia says that your face slams the windshield at 60 km/h. Not very pretty!

Yeah thats right. Some people think that the airbag will do the job, wrong!

You need to fasten the seat belt all the time, even if you want to go “just around there”.

This is great – but unfortunatley, we still have a long long way to go to stop those moronic, self-absorbed drivers that still think wearing a seatbelt will reduce your “coolness” level, and that speeding in and out is what really determines the size of their penis and demonstrates their testosterone level.

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