I often hear people say "Those old cars were made out of real metal and they were much safer than modern cars with their thin metal and plastic". Such thinking is quite incorrect. The modern car is much safer than those big hulking beasts of yesteryear. This video shows an offset front-end crash between a 2009 Chevrolet and a 1959 Chevrolet; both doing 40 MPH at time of impact. Watch and decide which car you'd rather be driving if you got in a wreck.
[update: Since this post was originally published, the video has been removed from Youtube. Josephus 10/27/09]
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How much of that safety innovation do we owe to NASCAR? None? A little? A lot? I have no idea but I'd like to ask someone who knows.
Many safety improvements are technologies that NASCAR does not use like airbags and stability control, so no help from NASCAR there. Other improvements are in the structure of the cars so that they absorb impact. NASCAR did not pay attention to that until Earnhardt's death, so, while they have improved, they did so after the car companies did. NASCAR safety belts and restraints are probably more advanced than what is in the car, but probably not needed at street speeds. Cars do have structural beams which work on the same principle as a rollbar. That would probably be NASCAR's contribution.
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