- IIHS crash-tested a 2026 Blazer against a 1996 one.
- The new Blazer driver would sustain minimal injuries.
- The older Blazer driver could have been fatally injured.
Despite what some armchair “experts” would have you believe, new cars are far safer than their older counterparts. To prove it, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) lined up a 2026 Chevrolet Blazer against its 1996 S10 counterpart from 30 years ago for a head-to-head moderate overlap crash test. The results speak for themselves.
The driver of the 2026 Blazer would have likely walked away from the crash with bumps and bruises, thanks to innovations like crumple zones, high-strength steel construction, reinforced side protection, and additional airbags. As for the 1996 Blazer driver, they would have sustained more serious or even fatal injuries.
Watching the crash footage and seeing the aftermath of the test, the older Blazer’s passenger compartment was compromised with a bent A-pillar and roof structure. The dashboard and steering column were pushed into the crash dummy’s lap, and the fully inflated airbag hit the dummy in the chin, snapping its neck back.
The IIHS says the crash dummy shows a human driver would have almost certainly suffered head or neck injuries, and likely leg injuries as well. The 2026 Chevrolet driver may have sustained a small injury to their right foot or lower leg, but that’s far lower than the level of risk in the older Blazer model.
Some people wrongly assume that because new vehicles use more plastic rather than metal, old vehicles were built to a higher standard and are somehow safer. It’s important to dispel these misconceptions with videos like this, so consumers see how valuable testing from the IIHS can be and how it makes vehicles less dangerous over time.
The IIHS says that nearly 50,000 lives have been saved in 30 years as a result of the changes automakers have implemented since the institute began its crash test programs. It has also saved around $500 billion in societal economic benefits.
The institute continues to push for further safety improvements, including adding safety ratings to heavy-duty trucks, a measure that has been desperately needed for years. 6,535 people were killed in crashes involving HD or medium-duty trucks and light vans in 2023, so it only makes sense to measure them by the same standards as passenger vehicles.
