Flying is still the safest mode of transportation. This is because of advances in technology, and it's even getting safer through the decades. In spite of the fact that the chances of your plane crashing are around one in 5.4 million, and that traveling by car is 100 times more deadly, many travelers are still unsettled by the mere idea of a metal machine flying through the air. There are still a few fliers who want to know where to sit to on a plane to improve their odds of surviving a crash, no matter how unlikely that would be.
"Statistics show that the middle seats in the rear of an airplane have the highest survival rates. This is based on a study of aircraft accidents in the last 35 years. TIME went through the Federal Aviation Administration's CSRTG Aircraft Accident Database looking for accidents with both fatalities and survivors. We found 17 with seating charts that could be analyzed. The oldest accident that fit our criteria was in 1985; the most recent was in 2000."
The plane's section is divided into three sections; the back third, the middle third and the front third. The analysis found that the seats in the back third of the aircraft had a 32% fatality rate, compared with 39% in the middle third and 38% in the front third.
Looking at it from the row position, the middle seats in the rear of the aircraft had the best outcomes with 28% fatality rate, while the worst-faring seats were on the aisle in the middle third of the cabin with a 44% fatality rate. Generally however, survival was frequently completely random; meaning, survivors were scattered irregularly around the plane.
Travel & Leisure also noted that those near emergency exits have a higher survival rate according to a 2008 study by the University of Greenwich. However, the chances of dying in an airplane has less to do with where you seat and more to do with which part of the plane bears the brunt of an impact.
While there may be a run on rear middle seats, most travelers should just pick a seat they find comfortable on their next flight. The conclusion is that there is really no safe spot or seat on a plane. However, flying is still the safest mode of transportation today, and it has gotten safer through the years.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
