Even though the number of deadly traffic incidents is decreasing, the proportion of motor vehicle crash deaths involving a collision with fixed objects is not. To address this issue, a novel load-bearing energy-absorbing system comprised of brittle blocks with thin-walled cellular structures is presented here, laying the foundation for the assessment of the system's crashworthiness. Six brittle hexagonal cellular structures were subjected to quasi-static and impact tests. The crushing process, force-displacement curves, and a wide range of indicators of crashworthiness were examined. Samples with different levels of crashworthiness were identified and several observations that could guide future crashworthiness design are given. Our findings show that relatively small changes in the design can lead to production of blocks with distinguishable levels of crashworthiness.