When choosing a seat on a plane, do you think about which place will keep you safest in case of an emergency? Probably not.
The majority of people book seats for comfort or convenience, such as easy access to the bathrooms or as close to the front as possible so they can disembark more quickly.
We rarely book a flight hoping to get one of the middle seats at the back of the aircraft. Yet these seats are statistically the safest on a plane.Flying is safe
Before we dive into this topic, it’s important to reiterate that flying is considered the safest mode of transportation. In 2019, there were nearly 70 million flights worldwide and only 287 deaths recorded as a result of accidents involving aircraft.
According to an analysis of data from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, the odds of dying on a plane are about 1 in 205,552, compared to 1 in 102 in a car. Even so, we pay little attention to fatal road accidents, but an air crash is always the main story on all news pages.In the middle, at the back
An investigation by TIME that analyzed 35 years of aircraft accident data found that middle seats at the back of an aircraft had the lowest mortality rate: 28%, compared to 44% for middle seats in the middle of the aircraft.
The statistics make total sense: sitting closer to the exit will always provide you with the quickest escape in case of an emergency, as long as there’s no fire on that side. But the wings of a plane store fuel, so that disqualifies the middle rows as the safest option.
At the same time, being closer to the front means you will be impacted before those in the back.
As for why middle seats are safer than window or aisle seats, it’s because the people sitting on both sides serve as a buffer.Preparedness for emergencies
Pilots are trained to minimize potential risk in an emergency event. They will try to avoid crashing into mountains and look for a flat area, like an open field, to land as normally as possible.
The main reason the cabin crew reminds us to keep our seatbelts fastened is not the risk of collision, but because of turbulence that can occur at any time at high altitudes. It’s this weather phenomenon that can cause more harm to passengers and aircraft than anything else.
Manufacturers are designing new planes with more composite materials capable of handling this stress during flight. In these designs, the wings are not rigid and can flex to absorb extreme loads to prevent structural failures.
Generally, larger planes will have more structural material and, therefore, more strength to withstand pressurization at altitude. This means they can provide some additional protection in an emergency – but this, of course, depends greatly on the severity of the emergency.
This doesn’t mean you should book your next flight on the largest plane you can find. As mentioned, air travel remains very safe.Source: CNN Travel
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