It seems to me that if you get into a plane crash, your chances of survival are not in your favor. Logically, airline companies should be designing planes to be as safe as possible to eliminate casualties in an accident. Of course, there's not much you can do if the plane bursts into flames, but what about the seats?
I don't get into an automobile without a full seat belt that covers my chest. I don't want the top half of my body being slung into my steering wheel. On an airplane, who really believes that grabbing your ankles will secure your body in the safest way possible? Why don't the seat belts secure your entire body……specifically the most important part, YOUR HEAD?
Also, would it be logical to place the seats facing backwards? Sure, during takeoff you'll have to push yourself against the force of the plane so you don't crumple into the seat in front of you, and gramma might have trouble due to her back problems, but that's what the full body safety belt could do for you. And ok, so if you crash, the silverware in front of you might impale you as it flies at you 500 miles per hour. But wouldn't you choose your chances of living over a made from scratch airplane meal that came with a knife?
Let them freak out, they'll get over it. People should freak out that they don't let us fly the safest way possible.
Bizjet, good points. How about, ""In preparation for landing………….and make sure your head strap is secure around your forehead, cause otherwise you will probably die in a crash!"
If all we are REQUIRED to do now is use a lap belt, the rest of the safety equipment could be optional. I wonder though….would a 4-point harness be rendered pointless without head support? In other words, of your body were held straight up, I wonder if your head my flop forward so hard that it will cause damage….in which case it's either grab your ankles or use a head strap.
I think sitting backwards is the answer. Who CARES if people are uncomfortable! It's only because they aren't used to it. If we all rode backwards normally, you'd say the same thing if I suggested we face forwards. People can adjust. If it is going to increase your chances of surviving an accident, I don't see how you can argue. Lots of trains have rear facing seats. Some buses too. It's really not a big deal.
Military planes have their seats facing backwards, because it was found to be the safest thing for passengers on board. When the plane slams into the ground the impact will be absorbed by your seat, since you will be pulled into the back of your seat, rather than being flung fwd like a conventional plane. But do you really think the public can handle flying backwards? They would freak out because it is not the norm, unfortunately the norm is more dangerous.
Flying is still more safer than driving, thousands of people die in car wrecks everyday, there aren't nearly as many people dying in plane crashes. The only difference is in a plane crash theres hundreds of bodies in 1 location, car accidents are spread out across the country, more bodies just dispersed.
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Are you nuts lol…you cant strap someones head to the backrest. I`m a tall guy the backrest usually ends at the base of my head top of my neck, i`m not going to put a belt around my neck lol. First off how would you accommodate a child and then a really tall adult? You cant have the belts anchor points slide because then you run the risk of the belt sliding around the neck of an adult or sliding off the top of the head of a child. Secondly, would you want a heavy metal buckle pressing up against your forehead or even on your head, the forces exerted on it could fracture your skull in an accident, especially a child's.
If you are already leaning fwd. grabbing your ankles then you eliminate that whiplash effect because your already in that fwd position, no need for a head restraint. Race car drivers only have a 5 pt belt system, which does not include a head restraint, they usually come out just fine.
Like someone else posted, how many lives would actually be saved by the seat? Its usually the fire caused by the fuel that kills the passengers on the plane, if they even survive the initial impact.
4 users commented in " Are the seats in an airplane safe? "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackMilitary planes have their seats facing backwards, because it was found to be the safest thing for passengers on board. When the plane slams into the ground the impact will be absorbed by your seat, since you will be pulled into the back of your seat, rather than being flung fwd like a conventional plane. But do you really think the public can handle flying backwards? They would freak out because it is not the norm, unfortunately the norm is more dangerous.
Flying is still more safer than driving, thousands of people die in car wrecks everyday, there aren't nearly as many people dying in plane crashes. The only difference is in a plane crash theres hundreds of bodies in 1 location, car accidents are spread out across the country, more bodies just dispersed.
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Are you nuts lol…you cant strap someones head to the backrest. I`m a tall guy the backrest usually ends at the base of my head top of my neck, i`m not going to put a belt around my neck lol. First off how would you accommodate a child and then a really tall adult? You cant have the belts anchor points slide because then you run the risk of the belt sliding around the neck of an adult or sliding off the top of the head of a child. Secondly, would you want a heavy metal buckle pressing up against your forehead or even on your head, the forces exerted on it could fracture your skull in an accident, especially a child's.
If you are already leaning fwd. grabbing your ankles then you eliminate that whiplash effect because your already in that fwd position, no need for a head restraint. Race car drivers only have a 5 pt belt system, which does not include a head restraint, they usually come out just fine.
Like someone else posted, how many lives would actually be saved by the seat? Its usually the fire caused by the fuel that kills the passengers on the plane, if they even survive the initial impact.
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Some good points there, and they have all been considered to some extent. While your ideas are good and valid, I think you would be hard pressed to find many passengers to pay for a seat on an airplane that took all of those safety measures. Just look at how many people feel the need to use the bathroom 3 minutes after takeoff while the seat belt sign is still on. And that's just disregarding the requirement for a lap belt.
The "brace" position actually DOES minimize severe injuries by placing your body in a position to minimize motion and trauma in case of a sudden deceleration. If you weren't in the brace position, just as you mentioned, your body would be slung forward, causing trauma to the back and neck.
With as hard as it already is to ensure passengers comply with the current rules, do you think the pubic would comply with and appreciate additional safety measures? To secure the whole body, there would have to be at least a 4 point safety harness, and probably a head strap in addition. I can just see it now: "In preparation for landing, please put any loose object back in your carry-on, stow your carry-ons under your seat, return your seat to its upright position, raise your headrest, secure your lap belt low around your hips, fasten your shoulder harnesses, keep your head straight, and make sure your head strap is secure around your forehead. We hope you had a pleasant flight!"
Backwards facing seats: Yes, that would be safer, but most people do not like the sensation of sitting backwards.
Silverware: There is already a regulation that airline-supplied food, beverages, and associated serviceware may NOT be at any passenger seat during taxi, takeoff, or landing.
The bottom line is that airlines are already so safe that additional safety measures are taken if they make sense. "Make sense" means that additional measures need to be proven that they will work and people will use them.
Given the current safety record, I think most people would take their chances flying on a comfortable plane rather than a plane that doesn't allow carry-on bags, meals, or any other loose object in the cabin while you are flying facing backwards in a 5 point safety harness with your head secured in a stationary position and your feet flat on the floor.
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This is all pretty much academic, don't ya think? Of all the fatalities in all the accidents in the history of commercial aviation, how many would have survived had the seat been facing the other way?
Resources required for the design and implementation of a radically new interior configuration concept would be better spent on projects with better upside potential.
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This would all be very possible.
However, most people don't want to pay, and can't afford, the price of a ticket on an airline that would work up too your expectation. Seats would have to be modified to not recline, since the upper belts would have to be fastened to the seatbacks.
The seat mounting would have to be modified. You can't change the load point from the bottom of the seat to the top of the seat without changing the anchor point structure with the change in torque that would occur.
Trains do have rear facing seats, I rode in many of them in Germany, and I hated it.
A roll cage could be installed around every row of seats too. That would make the trip more comfy, I'm sure, as if it's already not uncomfortable enough.
If you feel so unsafe, don't fly. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few…
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