Crash testing has been an integral part of automotive design for decades. It was GM who developed their own crash dummies in the 1950s and then continued to advance the technology through today were the dummies are actually “smarties”. The physical construction of cars and trucks has changed drastically. The materials used to build stuff, the way cars are designed to protect their drivers and passengers, and even the active safety measures that help people survive crash are far more advanced than anything engineers could have envisioned back in the 1950s.
This video shows a whole bunch of clips that feature different makes, models, and years of cars crashing…hard. Some get it face first and some get barrel rolled. Some are t-boned, and others are just crushed into a ball by the impact. If you look at the cars of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, featured here you will be thanking your stars that you are not in one right now. They fold up HARD. Obviously the older the car model is the worse it seems to fair in the tests but boy oh boy is this wild!
While serious stuff, how cool would be going to work be if you got to see that up close?. When I owned a wrecking yard I got to see the aftermath of many accidents buying from the insurance pools, but it would be amazing to watch the crash testing up close. Also good to see them testing in the 50’s too.