Most travelers experience some degree of anxiety over safety when flying. How realistic are these fears, and is there anything that you can do to minimize the risks?
One common misconception is that if the plane crashes you are likely to die. In fact, “Over 95% of people in U.S. plane crashes between 1983 and 2000 survived.” (Watt, Nick (17 January 2007). “Staying Alive During A Plane Crash”. ABC News. Retrieved 2 December 2009). There are things that you can do, both when planning your trip and on-board to improve the odds of arriving safely.
The choice of an airline is an important step in improving the odds. Safety records vary widely between the major international carriers and the smaller regional airlines. Fatalities per million flight hours are 4.03 for major airlines, and 10.74 with commuter airlines (NTSB Accidents and Accident Rates by NTSB Classification 1998-2007). The smaller airlines pay their crews less, and therefore attract less experienced, and less highly trained pilots and maintenance personnel. They also tend to have older, smaller fleets, and their aircraft are subjected to more cycles (take-offs and landings).
Individual safety statistics are also telling, as the odds of being killed on one of the 25 top safety rated airlines is 1 in 9.2 million, whereas on the lowest rated 25, it increases to 1 in 843,744 (OAG Aviation & PlaneCrashInfo.com accident database, 1985 – 2009). It is a simple matter to go on the Internet and find out how safe any particular carrier is, but less easy to avoid commuter airlines. Increasingly the major carriers use regional airlines to move passengers to their hubs.
An endless source of debate is the issue of whether some seats are safer than others. Studies generally are inconclusive, but it is interesting to note that the flight safety recorders (black boxes) are mostly located in the tail section, presumably because this is where they have the best chance of survival. Sitting at, or near, an exit should improve the odds of getting out safely in the event of fire, but increasingly exit seats are considered “premium” and incur extra cost. If you are seated at an exit door, a flight attendant will instruct you on how to open it in an emergency. If you aren’t confident that you can manage this, ask for a change of seats before take-off.
Few passengers actually pay attention to the safety announcements, but in an emergency this information could be a life-saver. Every type of aircraft is different, and knowing where the emergency exits and safety devices are located could mean the difference between living and dying. The seat belt should be tight, not just lying across the lap during takeoff and landing, as statistics show that 55% of all fatalities occur during these maneuvers (Statistical Summary of Commercial Jet Airplane Accidents, 1959 – 2008, Boeing). It should also be kept done-up during flight, except when it is necessary to leave the seat. Passengers have been injured or killed when thrown around the cabin during turbulence. There have even been instances of being sucked out of the plane if the hull is breached.
In the event of an emergency, listen to the instructions from the cabin crew, and follow them. Don’t panic, and stay buckled-up until it is safe to move. If you are seated at an emergency exit door, open it when instructed to do so, or when the situation warrants it. If possible, help those around you, and ensure that they know where to go, but trying to be a hero will only lower your own chances of survival. Get out as quickly as possible, and don’t try to take any personal belongings. If there is nobody to direct you after exiting the plane, get as far away as possible, and wait for help to arrive.
Flying remains an exceptionally safe form of travel, and passengers shouldn’t be unduly worried about being killed in a crash. Rarely, however, accidents do happen, and being informed about the relative safety of different airlines, and the steps that can improve the chances of survival, will greatly improve the odds of not becoming a fatality statistic.
