In 2009, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crashed a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air into a then-new 2009 Chevy Malibu to prove how far automotive safety had come. It proved difficult for some to accept that the old cars were fragile death traps and not tough tanks, but given the lack of safety features and limited understanding of crash performance prior to the implementation of federal safety standards, it is understandable. Airbags and crumple zones made a huge difference, but that doesn’t mean safety improvements have stopped.
Recently IIHS Another new vs old crash test conducted to prove it. This time, it pitted a 1996 Chevy S-10 Blazer against a 2026 Blazer to show how much its testing program has helped improve car safety over the past 30 years. The cars were crashed head-on under the same parameters as the IIHS’s moderate overlap front test, which typically involves driving a car into a stationary obstacle at a speed of 40 mph. I can’t tell what was more painful: seeing a mint S-10 Blazer destroyed in the name of science, or the existential crisis brought on by the realization that the Blazer is actually three decades old.
According to an IIHS press release, the front of the new Blazer absorbed most of the impact, leaving the cabin intact, allowing a real-life driver to walk away with only minor “bumps and bruises.” In contrast, the 1996 S-10 Blazer was compressed, causing the dashboard and steering column to go into the crash-test dummy’s lap. Instead of softening the blow, the airbag struck the dummy’s chin, forcing its head back with such force that it was severed.
Both the SUVs performed as expected. The 1996 Blazer earned the lowest “Poor” rating in the moderate overlap front test when new, and the 2026 Blazer earned the highest “Good” rating. However, it has not yet passed the updated version of the test, introduced in 2022, which also looks at rear-passenger protection.
The IIHS has been testing cars since 1995, using data from insurance companies to find crash scenarios not covered by federal regulations that have high rates of injuries and deaths in the real world, and using those same insurers’ money to conduct the tests. It has removed or added tests over the years to keep automakers on their toes, and has also expanded the testing regime to cover safety-related features such as headlights and automatic emergency braking systems.
2026 vs 1996 Chevrolet Blazer IIHS Crash Test
The nonprofit estimates that safety improvements resulting from its crash tests saved 48,352 lives between 1999 and 2024. It is based on a comparison of the real-world fatality rates of cars and trucks with ratings of “Good” and cars and trucks with lesser ratings of “Acceptable,” “Marginal,” and “Poor.” Citing data from the US Department of Transportation, IIHS also says that safety improvements resulted in savings of $538 billion. This is approximately a 900 times the return on investment of the $600 million insurance companies spent on IIHS crash testing during that time.
With continued funding from the insurance industry, IIHS is not resting on its laurels. It is implementing an updated whiplash test and evaluating large commercial trucks – which the federal government refuses to do.
