"All of us survived no seatbelt no bike helmet era"...you're kidding right?...."deny my family using a motorcycle"
I can't count the people i know taken out by not using seatbelts or the number of friends i lost or are crippled for
life from bike accidents.
Highway accidents account for a lot of deaths unrelated to health or "old age natural process". In other words, they were killed. That being said, very, very few die in a classic car. Next to none when looking at the %.
One thing is, classic cars are seen more by other drivers than probably any other 4 tire vehicle on the road. Being different does that. Being seen is a vital way to avoid an accident. Isn't it amazing when somebody sees a classic among them, they keep throwing glances, always knowing where it is?? Even most "non-car" people...lol
2nd, most driving a classic (lets call it 40 years or older) are more aware of their surroundings, on average. Even in parking lots. Being aware of surroundings is another vital way to avoid an accident.
Basically, when people are aware of you, and you are aware of your surroundings, it's amazing how well cars play nice! :)
But yes, in the case of a bad collision accident, a new Challenger would fair better than a '72 Duster in almost every case.