Wondering how much safer our cars are now as compared to 50 years ago?

1959 Chevrolet Bel Air vs. 2009 Chevrolet Malibu crash test. In the 50 years since US insurers organized the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, car crashworthiness has improved. Demonstrating this was a crash test conducted between a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air and a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. In a real-world collision similar to this test, occupants of the new model would fare much better than in the vintage Chevy.