'59 Chevy vs '09 Chevy. Which is safer.

M

markw

Audioholic Overlord
I'm not at work but still cannot access the video. What were the results?
 
lsiberian

lsiberian

Audioholic Overlord
I'm not at work but still cannot access the video. What were the results?
The '59 chevy would result in instant death. The '09 results in a knee injury.

On a not of history in my home town there was a head on collision between a 70's model truck and a 90s model acura. The Lady in the Acura had no injuries the man in the 70s truck died. His truck didn't crumple and as a result all the energy was transfrerred to him. This took place at around 70mph for each car.

It's amazing how facts dispute common beliefs.
 
sawzalot

sawzalot

Audioholic Samurai
Wow that was amazing, I would have thought that the old Chevy would have steamrolled the new model, boy was I wrong.
I guess the new cars really live up to the safety standards we all desire.
WOW.
 
ivseenbetter

ivseenbetter

Senior Audioholic
Wow that was amazing, I would have thought that the old Chevy would have steamrolled the new model, boy was I wrong.
I guess the new cars really live up to the safety standards we all desire.
WOW.
Wholeheatedly agree. I use to roll in an old Impala. It was a TANK. I thought it was the safest thing in the world. I guess I was wrong and I am glad I didn’t have to find out the hard way.
 
strube

strube

Audioholic Field Marshall
The video wouldn't work for me either, so here (I believe) is the youtube version.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
strube

strube

Audioholic Field Marshall
I would've liked to see the same two cars, sans airbag.
Seems like the airbag had a lot to do with it.

Slight hi-hijack::) this one is interesting
http://video.aol.co.uk/video-detail/truck-crane-operator-nearly-electrocuted-cctv/3558967458
If you watch the video and focus on the driver at every angle for each car, the '09 pretty much ends up in the driver's seat of the '59, whereas from the other angle later in the video, the '59 crumples the driver's area of the '09 a little bit but it isn't near as close to smashing the life out of him.

I don't think the airbag had near as much to do with it as the frame engineering, honestly.
 
M

markw

Audioholic Overlord
I just tried it again and it worked. Impressive.

I drove a '59 Catalina stataion wagon back in the day and pictured myself in that situation. Chilling...

Airbags and crush zones rule.
 
lsiberian

lsiberian

Audioholic Overlord
Engineers make things better.

Our job is to improve the world we live in and we work very hard to do so.

I suggest you trust engineers to do the right thing. We may have a failure from time to time, but we quickly address it.
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
The '59 chevy would result in instant death. The '09 results in a knee injury.

On a not of history in my home town there was a head on collision between a 70's model truck and a 90s model acura. The Lady in the Acura had no injuries the man in the 70s truck died. His truck didn't crumple and as a result all the energy was transfrerred to him. This took place at around 70mph for each car.

It's amazing how facts dispute common beliefs.
But I wonder if the 59 chevy had seat-belts or not and with just that alone, what would the results have been?
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
I don't think the airbag had near as much to do with it as the frame engineering, honestly.
The air bag reduces the driver driving into the steering wheel and having major injuries to his head and chest, and perhaps sliding out of the seat.
 
Rickster71

Rickster71

Audioholic Spartan
I've been told there are two collisions in an accident.

The first when you hit the windshield, steering wheel, etc.
The second is when your brain hits the inside of your skull, heart & lungs collide with your ribcage.
The airbag greatly reduces the second, and more serious of the two impacts.
 
JerryLove

JerryLove

Audioholic Ninja
In a frontal impact, properly restrained, the steering-wheel airbag should helpt, at most, your head neck by preventing severe whiplash and trauma to the head from impacting the wheel or other car-part.

Your chest should never usefully impact the bag, as the belt and seat should have restrained it. Your arms are actually pushed away by it, and leg protection is minimal

There are other airbags, and other impacts, with different effects.

"two impacts" is an oversimplification... there are multiple impacts drawn out over an extended time. The entire time your body is decelerating (which is far from uniform across your body) Is the time where injury occurs.

In a perfect world, your body would not move relative to the car and would be restrained across as much of it's surface as possible: with emphasis on structural supports (bones). For reference, look at the restraint system in a race-car. Take note too that the helmet is restrained to prevent the head from tossing around too much.
 
N

NicolasKL

Full Audioholic
Look at the A pillar (the front windshield pillar) on both cars. The 09 is completely intact, the 59 crumples and ends up in your lap (or your face). It's pretty obvious that the passenger compartment on the 09 is completely intact, or almost. And it's pretty obvious that the 59 is very much not.
 

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