It has been believed that Air travel is statistically one of the safest forms of transport, more people die in car accidents that airplanes. A paper by MIT researchers has found that “Aviation safety is improving by the decades. It states that the risk of dying on a commercial flight globally was 1 per 13.7 million passenger boardings from 2018 to 2022 — a significant improvement from the decade before, and far cry from the one death for every 350,000 boardings that occurred between 1968-1977."
However, recent Airplane crashes have left people wondering how safe is Air Travel? Or at least they want to know which is the safest seat on the plane, so that they can book the same for themselves.
Is the rear of the plane safest?
When the National Transportation Safety Board in the U.S. investigated 20 crashes since 1971 (with fatalities and survivors) it found that those sitting at the back of the plane had a 69% chance of staying alive, while those at the front of the plane had only a 49% chance. Passengers placed around the wing of the plane had a 59% chance.
A 2015 Time magazine analysis of FAA data revealed that pass passengers in the rear third of the aircraft had the lowest rate in crashes. In low-energy impacts, generally the front of the aircraft may absorb the brunt of the crash force. Therefore, the rear seats in this scenario were considered the safest.
Are Seats near the Exit doors safest?
Sitting next to an exit door may increase a person’s chances of survival in a crash. The safest place inside the aircraft has also been believed to be near the wings of the plane, where there is more “structural support” to protect a passenger in case of an emergency.
What can you do to keep yourself safe?
People who have been in and survived crashes feel that they would have been better off if they were well clothed. So, you would do well to wear clothes that cover the whole body and are made from non-inflammable materials. Avoid synthetics as they are likely to stick to the skin. It would be a good idea to carry a smoke hood with you if one is not provided by the airlines.
While each place crash is different, and it is impossible to predict absolute survivability based on seat location. The debate continues, need of the hour being that Air Travel Associations as well as plane manufactures need to further research this area for greater safety of all.
