- The IIHS crash-tested a 1996 Chevrolet Blazer against its modern counterpart, 30 years after the agency began evaluating vehicle safety.
- The driver of the new Blazer may have suffered only minor injuries, while the driver of the 1996 Blazer could have suffered serious injury or even death.
- The 40-mph moderate-overlap crash test highlights how far vehicle safety has come in 30 years.
Much progress has been made in vehicle safety over the past 30 years. Drivers benefit from the widespread adoption of airbags, traction and stability control and stronger body structures, while active safety advancements like automatic emergency braking and driver monitoring aim to prevent accidents from happening in the first place.
As a result, per capita U.S. roadway fatality rates have declined for more than 20 of the last 30 years, according to NHTSA data, despite an alarming increase in pedestrian deaths since 2010. Potentially linked to increased prevalence of larger trucks and SUVs.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has been conducting independent collision tests since 1995. To mark 30 years of its crash testing program, the IIHS recently drove a 2026 Chevrolet Blazer in a 1996 model year.
The test conducted was a moderate-overlap front crash test, where two vehicles traveling at less than 40 mph collided with each other with 40% frontal overlap. The outcomes are predictable, but watching the disaster unfold is chilling.
From the moment the two vehicles collide, the cabin of the 1996 Blazer begins to deform. The roof and driver’s door of the old Blazer collapses like a tin can on impact, leaving minimal space for the driver’s body. Viewed from inside the car, the steering column and dashboard move toward the driver, slamming them back into the seat in a hard secondary impact. According to the IIHS, the man may have suffered “serious, potentially fatal injuries.”
It’s a different story in the 2026 Blazer. The car’s crumple zone functions as it should, absorbing the impact and transmitting it around it rather than through the passenger compartment. The driver’s door seems to be opened without too much difficulty, and intrusion into the cabin is minimal. According to the IIHS, this driver “likely would have walked away with bumps and bruises.”
IIHS has done this kind of work before, Driving a 1959 Chevy Bel Air in a 2009 Malibu To mark the organisation’s 50th birthday. But it’s much more shocking to see a relatively modern SUV with air bags perform so poorly. The average car on American roads is about 13 years old, with many cars still running twice that, so this is a fairly realistic scenario that could play out on the road.
IIHS estimates that vehicle safety advances inspired by its testing have saved approximately 50,000 lives since 1995. “These results highlight the role of IIHS ratings in driving many of the major vehicle safety improvements of the past 30 years,” said Joe Nolan, IIHS Chief Operating Officer. “The difference between the two vehicles could not be clearer.”
Motor1’s Opinion: This demonstration shows how far vehicle safety has come in 30 years. You’re safer behind the wheel of a modern Chevy Blazer than a 1996 model, despite what anyone says about old cars being “built like tanks.”
