2026 vs. 1996 Chevrolet Blazer IIHS crash test

This recent head-to-head crash test held to mark the 30th anniversary of the IIHS crash testing program illustrates how dramatic the safety improvements have been. The demonstration pitted a 1996 Chevrolet Blazer against the 2026 model in a special, head-to-head version of the Institute’s moderate overlap front crash test. The driver of the new Blazer would likely have walked away with bumps and bruises. The driver of the 1996 model would have suffered serious, potentially fatal injuries. The occupant compartment of the 2026 model remained intact. All but one of the injury measurements taken from the driver dummy showed minimal injury risk. The risk of injury to the driver’s right foot or lower leg was a little elevated but still in the acceptable range. In contrast, the impact crushed the occupant compartment of the 1996 model, pushing the dashboard and steering column into the dummy’s lap. The fully inflated airbag hit the dummy in the chin, snapping its head back and toward the window. This caused the nodding joint of the dummy’s upper neck to break, and the head was detached from the body. Although this isn’t likely to happen to a human driver, it illustrates the extreme forces the dummy absorbed. The Institute’s engineers use specific metrics collected by instruments inside the dummy, rather than visible damage, to estimate injury risk. Those indicators showed that the crash almost certainly would have caused serious injuries to the driver’s head or neck and both legs. Subscribe: https://go.iihs.org/subscribe View Our Website: https://www.iihs.org/ Follow us: Twitter: https://twitter.com/IIHS_autosafety Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iihs.org/ Instagram: https://go.iihs.org/instagram LinkedIn: https://go.iihs.org/linkedin