It’s been only a little over one week since Asiana Airlines’ Flight 214 tragic crash in San Francisco, and our thoughts certainly go out to all the passengers and victims’ families.
Although plane crashes are so very rare, it’s still been on my mind, and I found myself looking for a few safety tips, should any of us business travelers ever be in a position to need them. Here are a few I found interesting:
6 tips to remember in a plane crash
- Seconds are valuable. The more time you wait, the less chance for survival. Before the aircraft takes off, passengers should count the number rows they are away from an emergency exit.
- Though instinct may cause you to crawl, don’t do it. Often, people will walk over, or even on you, preventing your exit from the plane. Come down the aisle staying low, with your head below the tops of the seat-backs, using the arm rests for support and following the path lighting until you come to the colored lights, which signals you are at the exit.
- A Popular Mechanics investigation examined nearly four decades of data from a federal safety agency. The magazine concluded the safest seats were in the back of the aircraft, and the least safe were in the front.
- University of Greenwich professor Ed Galea, who is considered a leading expert on aviation safety, has found that the passengers most likely to get out of a downed plane are those seated within five rows of an emergency exit and those in aisle seats.
- Stay calm
- Once seated, have a plan in the event the plan goes down.
May we all have safe travels, and again, our hearts are with those directly affected by the tragic events of July 6.