How to Survive a Plane Crash

Most people know that flying in an airplane is one of the safest ways to travel. No, it's not as safe as, say, sitting in your living room surfing internet dating sites or watching funny kitten videos on YouTube, but it's a heck of a lot safer than even driving your car down the street to the grocery store. We all know that flying is relatively safe, it's impossible to forget the times when flying doesn't go well. The kinds of airplane crashes you see on the national news tend to be pretty disturbing, and there are generally few, if any, survivors.

Because of this, most of us think that a plane that crashes is a plane that kills; and we think that if we're on that airplane when it crashes, there's no real hope of survival.

Fortunately, that's not true. A vast majority of airplane crashes see no fatalities, and most of the ones that do experience fatalities also have plenty of survivors, as well. For airplane accidents classified as "serious," the survival rate is over 75% (for non-serious crashes, that number is much, much higher). Which means, lucky for us, that even if we are in an airplane crash, we've got a good chance of surviving. Especially if we take the right steps to improve our safety.

According to statistics, certain kinds of people (or certain types of behavior) have a better chance of surviving airplane crashes. Here's what they do.

Sit close to the exit. When you accept a seating assignment on an airplane, your first thoughts are probably about how close you are to the front-- and how quickly the cabin crew will bring you your drink. But if you're concerned about safety, it's a good idea to request a seat within five rows of an emergency exit. Studies have shown that, when an aircraft is on fire, the people who tend to survive the accident move only five rows or fewer until they get to the exit. Those who have to move further have a greatly reduced chance of making it out alive.

It doesn't matter which exit row you're close to, as long as you're close to one. The people who are most likely to survive any plane crash involving fire or water are always the ones closest to the exit. And it takes no more than ten seconds to make the request when you're assigned seats at the check-in desk.

Know your row. You can't always be seated just where you want. If you're not as close to an exit row as you'd like to be, take the time to figure out how close you actually are. If something goes wrong and the cabin fills with smoke, you'll find it difficult to locate the exit. Knowing just how many rows you'll have to pass to get there will help you to find your way faster. And maybe save your life.

Listen to the rules. You know that safety demonstration they do at the beginning of the flight-- the one you never pay attention to? If you want to improve your chances of surviving a plane crash, you need to start listening. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the people who tend to be least informed about the safety procedures on a flight are those that fly the most often. But the information you get during a safety demonstration is necessary for coming up with a plan of action in case something goes wrong. And a plan is just what you need to have.

Wait to get comfortable. Statistics have shown that the most dangerous parts of a flight are the first three minutes, and the last eight minutes of flying time. In fact, these eleven minutes are when 80% of airplane accidents take place. So if you have a tendency to take off your shoes, stick in your earplugs, and pretend you're in your living room as soon as you get on the plane, don't. Wait until the plane has been up in the air for a few minutes before making yourself too comfortable, and pull yourself together about 10 minutes before you land.

Chances are, you'll never have to worry about what to do in the event of an airplane crash, because you'll never experience one. But we all think we're the lucky ones; that something like an airplane crash will "never happen to us." Unfortunately, though, these things do happen to some people... and the ones who come prepared are the ones with a greater chance of survival.

Seed Newsvine

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