Watch 50 years of safety progress in this IIHS Chevy crash test

Fifty years of safety separates this 1959 Chevy Bel Air and a 2009 Chevy Malibu, in this infamous and controversial IIHS video. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety celebrated its 50th anniversary back in 2009, and commemorated the moment with an eye-opening look at just how far we’ve come, and just how well we’re able to survive the worst.

Reportedly, the 1959 Bel Air was taken from a junkyard. Despite the supposed superiority of old iron, it crumbles into a heap. But that’s progress, in safety, though not necessarily style.