For nearly twenty years, models for sale in Europe have had to comply with the safety standards imposed by the Euro NCAP . In that time the number of fatal accidents on European roads has dropped from 45,000 in the mid-1990s to around 25,000 today.
In view of these numbers, it can be said that in this period of time, the safety standards imposed by Euro NCAP have already helped to save around 78 000 people. To show the enormous evolution that car safety has undergone in the space of two decades, Euro NCAP decided to use its best tool: a crash test.
So, on one side Euro NCAP placed a previous generation Ford Fiesta (Mk7) on the other a 1998 Ford Fiesta (Mk4). He then pitted the two against each other in a confrontation whose final outcome is not too difficult to guess.
20 years of evolution means survival
What twenty years of crash testing and stricter safety standards created was the possibility of getting out alive from a 40 mph frontal crash. The oldest Fiesta proved incapable of guaranteeing the passengers' survival, as, despite having an airbag, the entire structure of the car was deformed, with the bodywork invading the cabin and pushing the dashboard onto the passengers.
Subscribe to our newsletter here
The most recent Fiesta highlights the evolution that has taken place in the last twenty years in terms of passive safety. Not only did the structure withstand the impact much better (there being no intrusion of the cabin) but the many airbags present and systems like the Isofix ensured that no occupant of the latest model would be at risk of life in a similar collision. Here's the result of this generational crash test.