Then and Now: Fifty Years of Automobile Safety

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009. To commemorate this milestone and to demonstrate how far automobile safety has come in the past half century, the Institute arranged a crash test pitting a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air against a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu.

Automobile accidents still claim approximately 40,000 lives every year and contribute to over 3,000,000 injuries according to the U. S. Department of Transportation. This is but one crash test yet it provides a graphic reminder that design can have a major influence on the outcome of automobile accidents.

Thank you to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety for sharing this informational video with the public!