As cars have gotten sleeker and lighter over the decades, nostalgia about cars of yesteryear often romanticize their sturdiness – huge boxes of steel ready to take on any impact. It is a memory often not rooted in the reality of the safety of today’s vehicles. “People have dismissed the idea of lighter cars for decades because you feel safer in a big, heavy car, but that’s not always the case. If I can make something out of a stronger steel, I can use less steel,” said Dr. Luke Brewer, an engineering researcher at the University of Alabama. “It’s all about saving weight while maintaining crash worthiness.”