Protect yourself when flying high.....
It might seem improbable, but it's possible to survive a plane crash. Follow these tips from safety experts to increase your likelihood of being among the 10 percent who walk away from an air disaster.
- Choose your seating - Experts consider two areas among the safest places to be seated if a plane crashes. One is right next to an exit door so you can quickly escape. The other is close to the wings where the plane's stronger structure may protect you.
- Listen to the attendant - The flight attendant's preflight briefing will help you locate exits, life preservers, and oxygen. Count the rows to the exits in front of you and behind you. This could prove helpful in the event you have to move through a smoky cabin with low visibility.
- Keep heavy items out of the overhead bins - The last thing you want in an emergency is to be hit by the jar of your Aunt Margaret's boysenberry preserves you've stashed in the overhead bin. If you have something extra heavy, it may be wise to check it at the counter.
- Pick nonstops, if possible - Most air disasters happen during takeoffs and landings.
- Stay attached - Keep your seat belt fastened whenever you aren't moving about the cabin. Many injuries occur when passengers are thrown upward and their heads hit the cabin ceiling.
- Wear natural fabrics - Natural fabrics such as cotton and wool are less likely to ignite in the event of a fire. Synthetic fabrics burn faster and then melt and cling to your body.
- Keep your blood circulating - Sitting for prolonged periods in a cramped space raises your risk of deep vein thrombosis, a clot that forms in a vein in your leg. The clot can travel to your heart and cause a heart attack, or to your brain and cause a stroke. You can prevent this from happening by keeping the blood circulating in your legs. On a long flight, walk around the cabin. When seated, flex your leg muscles.
- Use a major airline - If your plane carries more than 30 passengers, the company is required to meet strict federal safety regulations.
- Choose an airline that equips planes with lifesaving machines - Several airlines now carry a combination heart monitor and defibrillator- to produce EKGs and shock the heart back into rhythm-on board. Credited with saving the lives of heart attack victims, the devices are available on most American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, and Quantas flights. American is also beefing up it's onboard medical supplies to include drugs to treat cardiac arrest, asthma attacks, psychosis, and seizures. Other airlines are expected to follow.
