Crash test: 1959 Chevy Bel Air vs. 2009 Chevy Malibu...

[cynatnite]

Run time: 01:52 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJrXViFfMGk   Posted on YouTube: September 29, 2009 By YouTube Member: SBARTSTV Views on YouTube: 404217   Posted on DU: January 15, 2011 By DU Member: cynatnite Views on DU: 885

 

[krispos42]

1. Regulated capitalism gave us the 2009 Impala

Free-market capitalism gave us the Bel Air.


Mandating safety improvements, then letting the market figure out how to meet them spurred innovation while making a superior product.


I mean, LOOK at the video! The dashboard of the Bel Air EXPLODED up into the dummy's face. The one in the Impala didn't even budge.

[wtmusic]

2. Free-market capitalism gave us cars with tail fins.

Is there no middle ground? :cry:

[Kurovski]

5. Oh baby, are you missin' them tail fins?

:D There, there.

[truedelphi]

3. Plus the 2009 Impala

had the required air bag.

So even if something were to try to get in your face, it wouldn't get beyond the air bag.

[Wickerman]

4. I'm not sure I really understand why they had to kill that Bel Air

We had one growing up and I kinda miss it.

I appreciate the point made, but there aren't that many vehicles from the 50's left.

[Kurovski]

6. Are you sure?

It's pretty much all you'll find in Cuba. :)

[Devil_Fish]

7. LOL at the fuzzy dice. NT

[Devil_Fish]

8. My favorite part is at 0:45 when the steering wheel breaks the dummy's face. NT

[NuclearDem]

9. Watching that beautiful Bel Air go crunch made me cry

:cry:

[AdHocSolver]

10. The main safety features built into modern cars and not found in the 1959 cars are:

seat belts, crumple zones, collapsible steering wheel, and of course, air bags.

All of these safety features, except for the airbags, could have been implemented in 1960's cars but weren't because the auto companies fought them tooth and nail.

In the 1950's, the government paid for the design of a "safety" car in which many safety concepts were tested.

You can see from watching the video that both cars were demolished, but the dummy in the 2009 car was spared serious injury because the crumple zones absorbed the energy of the crash by means of a controlled collapse, whereas the 1959 car saw its fender, hood, and steering wheel shoved into the dummy inside its car.

The technology to build that much safety into a car was available back then, but the car companies preferred not to do so since the redesign would have cost them some money.

[AnneD]

11. I guess....

Bobby Sue won't have a date to the prom. Loved the fuzzy dice. The safety glass worked. Looks like the whole thing flew off

I want to work there-they have fun.