Where to seat and what to follow

Questions:

1. Could you describe the most important rules every passenger should follow to increase his chance to survive plane crash?

2. I would say it is an advantage to have the seat near to emergency exit or to seat close to cabin crew. But not every passenger has this kind of luck. Would you say there are some seats in the plane more dangerous than others? And do you have some special advice for the passenger on those seats?

3. Even if we know the rules which could help us to survive it is not normal for most of us to face death. I suppose people tend to react wrongly during the plane crash. What do you think are the most ordinary mistakes we do in such situation and how to avoid the panic and to stay calm?

Answers:

Helen Muir, Professor, Director of Cranfield Institute for Safety, Risk and Reliability at Cranfield University

1. Listen to the instructions from the Cabin Crew

Know/practice how to undo your seat belt

Know/practice how to adopt the brace position

Look to see where your nearest exits are (in front, behind and across the plane) and how many seat rows you would have to pass/climb to get there.

2. I don't think you can say some seats are more dangerous than others. All accidents are different. If you are at the front it is better if there is a fire. If you are at the back it is better if there is a crash landing, if you are in the middle it is better if you land on water! You can only sit near an emergency exit if you are able bodied and prepared to open the exit in an emergency. In an accident, more important than where you sit is what you do. The people with the greatest chance of survival are those who take the correct actions. Further more if every one does this then more passengers survive.

3. To try to stay calm, concentrate on breathing slowly, and mentally rehearse what you are going to do ie, adopt the brace position or plan your route to an exit. Above all listen and take notice from any instructions from the Cabin Crew.