Top mechanic Scotty Kilmer has highlighted how some classic cars are more dangerous compared to modern vehicles.
The leading mechanic warned the mix of no airbags and limited crumple zones make historic vehicles more of a risk than modern machines.
These features help reduce the energy extracted onto the driver in the event of a collision in a major safety boost.
Scotty said classic cars could even be described as the “deadliest cars to drive” in a blow to historic motoring fans.
He made the assessment on his YouTube channel where he provides daily tips and tricks to motorists.
Scotty added: “Today I’m going to show you why newer cars are safer than older cars.
“Sure older cars are heavier but that doesn’t mean it’s safer. Get into a wreck in this, no airbag, wham right into the steering wheel.
“Modern cars have airbags all over the place, so you get into a wreck, they pop out and you don’t whack into something solid.
“Modern cars have crumple zones, they don’t have solid frames, they’ve got a whole unibody construction. Get into a wreck, instead of you taking all that energy the car accepts it and destroys the car instead of you.
“Plus modern cars have anti-lock braking and traction control systems so you don’t get into a wreck in the first place.
“So if you’re worried about safety, it’s probably not a good idea to buy an old clunker like this.”
Previous analysis from safety testers EuroNCAP revealed a stark contrast in safety rates between older models and newer vehicles.
The data compared cars produced between 1980 and 1984 with cars built anywhere from 2015 to 2018.
The results found that the risk of injury was reduced by 40% in newer models with the risk of serious and fatal injury down by 58%.
The chance of motorists being killed behind the wheel was also down by an eye-watering 88%.
Euro NCAP previously explained: “These results clearly show that vehicle crashworthiness has improved since the early 80s. Such results have also been found in other studies.
“They also show that the improvements are larger for more severe injuries. The largest improvement was found for fatal injuries, but a large improvement was also found for injuries leading to permanent medical impairment.”
