Practical Tips To Help You Fly Safer

There is always a small degree of risk involved when flying, but there are things you can do to better prepare yourself and fly safer. 

Addressing how you can fly safer is a thorny topic. Some people do not want to discuss or even think about the subject, and so they tune out. What is worse, others dismiss it out of hand.
Both attitudes are wrong — and quite dangerous. Certainly, it is a given that some aviation accidents are not survivable. But what many passengers do not realize is the survivability rate of airline disasters has been steadily and continually climbing. The National Transportation Safety Board reports more than 95 percent of airline crashes are survivable, and in recent years we have seen many examples where every person onboard a destroyed airplane escaped alive — most famously in 2009 when US Airways Flight 1549 landed in the Hudson River in New York City.

There are many reasons why — including remarkable improvements in accident avoidance, accident survivability, and accident egress and evacuation. But it is not all about improved technology and better training. Ultimately, passengers play a part in their own survival, though many do not realize it.

Consider adopting some basic steps that should become a regular part of your flying routine. 

Know When to Stay Alert

You may be settling in for a lengthy eight-hour flight, but you need to understand certain times require more attentiveness. Exhaustive research from Boeing indicates only 10 percent of fatal accidents occur during cruise at high altitudes, by far the longest phase on a long flight.
The most dangerous phases are takeoff through climb and — especially — descent through landing. In other words, the earliest and latest stages of your flight are the time to be alert. Hold off on alcohol, medication, and eyeshades until you reach altitude. Secure loose and bulky items. And stay aware.

Dress Sensibly

Evacuating an airplane is a statistical anomaly, but one you do not want to undertake while underdressed. Again, the initial and final stages of flight in cold climates are not the time for booties and a tank-top. (Remember, US Airways Flight 1549 was destined for North Carolina, but instead passengers evacuated into the frigid January waters of the Hudson River.) Consider comfortable, flat-heeled shoes; flip-flops might work for TSA screening, but they will not work on evacuation slides (neither will stiletto heels).

Listen to Briefings

Okay, you are a frequent flyer and you can recite the safety briefing better than any flight attendant. Really? Close your eyes. How many rows is it to the nearest exit? Could you find it while crawling through a darkened or smoke-filled cabin? If that path is inaccessible, where is the second nearest exit? Is it an over-wing exit or will you be descending directly off the airplane? The bottom line is that every seat on every aircraft is different, so do not ignore the briefings, even if they are not entertaining.

Stay Buckled

Buckle up! (and stay that way)
Yes, it is required when the sign is lit. But you should heed the advice of professionals and stay fastened whenever you are seated. Unexpected turbulence and emergencies can occur at any time.

Secure Infants 

Because the Federal Aviation Administration and the airlines allow lap kids on commercial flights, some mistakenly believe there is no danger. Any physics professor can explain how the g-forces inflight will render a loving parent useless during extreme turbulence or an emergency, because you simply will not be able to hold onto your child. The science of proper restraint is not up for debate — it is a cold reality and the dangers of allowing “lap children” on airplanes have been proven when infants were injured and killed under otherwise survivable conditions.

SOURCE: YAHOO