It is May 21, 1979 in Phoenix, Arizona, at the Dynamic Science crash test facility. A yellow 1979 Plymouth Champ slams into a wall at 35 mph, demolishing the front end of the car. It's the first crash test ever done under a new program designed to assess the safety of cars and report the results to consumers, and the results here are not good. The dummies, despite being seat-belted, are thrown against dashboard with herculean force. Driver crash test dummy sustains severe "injury" and passenger crash test dummy records fatal "injury".
January 20, 2010, and the 1160th - and last - test performed is done on a rainy day at Karco Engineering's crash test facility in Adelanto, California. A 2010 Acura ZDX comes to a violent stop against a wall at 35 mph. It couldn't go smoother for the driver dummy, who is gently slowed by an advanced airbag and suffers virtually no "injury." The passenger's stop is a little rougher, but minor "injury" marks a worst-case scenario for this dummy.
The NHTSA full frontal crash test program began in 1979. It is still going today, but the dummies used are different, and injury measures are measured in more detail. This post series focuses on the first generation program, conducted from 1979 to 2010.
Posts will be done in the following order:
Part 1 - The Early Years - 1979-1986
Part 2 - Airbags Become Common - 1987-1995
Part 3 - 5-Star Ratings - 1996-2003
Part 4 - Safety Nirvana - 2004-2010
January 20, 2010, and the 1160th - and last - test performed is done on a rainy day at Karco Engineering's crash test facility in Adelanto, California. A 2010 Acura ZDX comes to a violent stop against a wall at 35 mph. It couldn't go smoother for the driver dummy, who is gently slowed by an advanced airbag and suffers virtually no "injury." The passenger's stop is a little rougher, but minor "injury" marks a worst-case scenario for this dummy.
The NHTSA full frontal crash test program began in 1979. It is still going today, but the dummies used are different, and injury measures are measured in more detail. This post series focuses on the first generation program, conducted from 1979 to 2010.
Posts will be done in the following order:
Part 1 - The Early Years - 1979-1986
Part 2 - Airbags Become Common - 1987-1995
Part 3 - 5-Star Ratings - 1996-2003
Part 4 - Safety Nirvana - 2004-2010
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