Car manufacturers strive hard to achieve best results in car crash ratings, at least when it comes to Western markets. However, it is less of a priority when it comes to cars specifically built for developing countries. And this is ably demonstrated by India’s most trusted vehicle — the Maruti Alto K10.
Say what you want about the Americans, but they are a serious bunch when it comes to safety. The U.S. government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — NHTSA — is the one that mandates airbags and tyre-pressure monitors in all new cars, subdued automakers into making their roof strength higher while inadvertently making outward visibility worse due to thicker pillars, and is set to force rear-view cameras on all new cars by 2014 thereby making car prices higher. And if that weren’t enough, there are not one, but two agencies in the U.S. that conduct crash tests, one being the NHTSA and other being the private Insurance Institute for Highway Safety —
This test was done to celebrate the U.S. IIHS safety institute’s 50th anniversary. The IIHS is a non-government organisation that conducts crash tests on new cars. It is generally accepted that today’s cars are softer and crumple more easily, compared to the hard-boned cars of olden days. So they decided to pit a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu against a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air to see which one comes out on top.
This here is a crash test of a 1978 Holden at 100 kph. Crash tests nowadays are done at only 56 kph, so the damage seen here is much higher. Keeping in mind that cars back then had even stronger bodies than today’s collapsible cars, and you have an idea of how many pieces you will be chopped into in a high-speed crash. Something to think about next time you drive recklessly, even if you think it is all up to Allah when you die. It is your choice whether you want to die in one piece or as a meat puzzle.
For years, sub-compact cars have been shunned by snooty people who chose to drive a big car, citing concerns over safety. While their reasons probably have more to do with image than safety, the Insurance institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), an independent American agency that crash-tests hundreds of cars every year, say that the snooty people were actually right. While many sub-compact cars such as the Honda Jazz and the Toyota Yaris scored full marks in standardised crash tests against a stationary barrier, their downfalls became obvious when they were slammed against a midsize Honda Accord or a Toyota Camry.