Car safety has come a long way in the past 15 or so years.
In a collision between two Toyota Corollas, one from 1998 and the other from 2015, the differences are astonishing. Obviously there have been a lot of safety features in the newer car that are now standard. But the new car absorbed the brunt of the crash much better, while the older car is completely caved in. The older car's cabin ends up compressing straight into the driver while the newer car's cabin stays mostly intact.
Basically, the person in the newer car would sustain moderate injuries while the person in the older car would likely have died.