1959 vs 2009 Chevy Impala Head on Crash

In 1959 they did not even have seat belts.Ignorance was bliss,but dangerous.

What you don't know can hurt you.

Many times I had exceeded 100 mph in my 60 Impala and thought nothing of it.Thinking back,I am very blessed to be alive now.

All of today's cars are much safer with crumple zones and air bags and reinforced door panels and side air bags.A much safer ride for sure.

Better lubricants and closer tolerances have increased the engine life,but body parts have deteriorated.

My 76 LTD was rear-ended by a Chevy Vega while stopped at a traffic light.

A low speed collision.

The LTD had the 5MPH bumper.

The Vega was totaled,the LTD had a scratch on the bumper,no body work required.

Mylar type "Chrome" trim that will evaporate over time have replaced real chrome,windshields are glued in with nothing else to secure them,and the glue is used sparingly.

Vinyl trim,interior and exterior, decays over time and becomes brittle.

Definitely designed for short life span.

Overall long term reliability is not as good,with the exception of the Japanese models.

And I don't want to get started on late model Government Motors products.

Fast forward 75 years:

I think eventually,when cars become totally electric,and fully autonomous,the bodies will be like Rubbermaid trash cans,and the bodies will be exchangeable for an upgrade,if personal vehicles are even allowed in 50 years from now.

Imagine driving into a dealership(if they exist) for a new body.

The old one is un-clipped,the body goes into a grinder at the dealership,and while you wait the plastic is remolded into a new model,still warm from the 3D printer.

Clipped right onto your existing frame,and away you go.No people in the "dealership" required,all done remotely and automatically.

Vehicles on the interstate(if they still exist) will be spaced only mm apart,and they will move like a herd of sheep,bumping into each other lightly without damage and continuing on.

ROCKY 10000 is playing,Windows V.10M is now available,with improvements to the bionic interface to allow a holographic trip to the surface of Venus and the planets around the triple star system Alpha Centauri.

People will prefer to live in the holographic world rather than the real one.

Well,I see I have drifted far astray form the Op so I will mark this Off Topic.

I notice none of the test dummy biomechanical data (predicted injuries and survival) was presented in your selected video. The only thing one can see is the damage to the vehicles. There's also nothing indicating the speed of the vehicles. This video provides only eye-candy images of cars colliding at some unknown velocity.

Never judge the condition of the car. Since 1959, cars are engineered to absorb and disperse the energy from a crash.

With that said, I’ll also go with the car that has the latest safety devices such as restraints, safety glass and airbag. ^{and air conditioning}

From this link I found more relevant images of each vehicle after this testing impact performed over a decade ago. Here is a view of the passenger compartment of the 2009 Impala.

Here is a picture of the passenger compartment of the 1959 Bel Air.

I still did not find test dummy data but these images are very telling. The impact velocities are not posted but I'm certain they are known. There is still uncertainty to me of the condition of the fifty year old vehicle chassis prior to impact. To my untrained eye the Bel Air looked good prior to impact and the impact results do not reveal a structural weakness of the chassis.

I do feel far safer in today's vehicles. Still the vehicle lines of a 1959 Bel Air are cool.

The test booth observing the crash test obviously.

It's a shame they didn't have a Chevy Cavalier to put in the middle and act as protective padding for both of them.