In a plane crash, you are required to put your head between your legs, is this correct?

Question

also, is the reason for this (i have heard but dont believe it) to protect your teeth during the crash so that in the event of fatalities, it is easier to determine who you are for the authorities?

Answer 1

Where do these urban legends come from?

The brace position recommended by cabin crews in an emergency is designed to offer the best protection for passengers.  See, most injuries due to impact occur not when the airplane hits something, but when the passengers hit parts of the airplane.  The acceleration endured by the airplane when it hits is much lower than the acceleration endured by an unrestrained passenger when he hits, say, the seat in front of him.  So the idea is to wedge the passenger into his seat so that he "becomes one" with the aircraft.  That way the accelerations he suffers are no greater than those of the aircraft.

Now, it turns out that the accelerations of the aircraft are often well within the range of human tolerance (which is extremely high if a person is securely fastened), whereas the accelerations of bouncing around the cabin after impact are not.  So keeping those passengers braced and strapped in dramatically increases the chances that they'll be able to walk away from the accident.  It's surprising how severe an impact can be and still remain survivable.

The same principle applies to cars, amusement-park rides, and so on, and that's why seat belts, lap bars, and the like are routinely used in such environments.

Answer 2

No.  That is not required.  It isn't even advised.  

Cunning linguist: you think being inside a metal box will cushion you from the sudden stop, or keep you from burning?

Answer 3

It offers the most available protection from the possibility of blunt force trauma.and whiplash type injuries to your head, neck and vital organs while sitting upright.

Of course this often will not be enough especially in a high energy impact but doing something is better than nothing and this is thankfully a situation most of us will never have to face.

Answer 4

lets clear up one thing right away, you're not required to do anything in the event of a crash.

If I were in a plane I knew was going down the last thing I'd do is put my head between my knees. Odds are the impact of an emergency landing (not a crash) isn't going to be all that great. buckle in and hold on, there will be some loud noises and a few bumps, but nothing too serious. From there the name of the game is getting out of the plane before any fires begin.

If I knew a crash were going to happen, and it wasn't going to be pretty you don't want your head between your legs because that makes it just that much easier to snap your neck. I don't know about you but I don't want to die an a survivable landing. Take some jackets of pillows and cushion your face against the back of the seat in front of you and brace for an impact.  I might even turn around and put my back against the seat in front of me if it were an option and it looked like it would support my back and head.

I want to live another day and put my teeth to better use than identifying my charred body.

Answer 5

It is not correct that you want to place your head between your legs, but you do want to get it as close as possible to the seat in front of you to minimize the distance your head will travel before hitting it. You will typically want your feet flat on the floor, and your arms either between your head and the seat in front of you, or around the back of your head. Do not cross your arms, however.

Your main goal is to protect your head as much as possible, while keeping your body within the confines of your seat (you do not want to have any part of your body sticking out into the aisle or above the top of the seat).

There is a rumor that the airlines designed the brace position to increase the likelihood of passengers dying so that they end up with lower expenses in the event of a crash (medical expenses can end up being much greater than a wrongful death settlement). This is not true. In an aircraft crash your body will be subjected to a substantial amount of G-force, as well as the chance of having debris flying around in the cabin. The brace position helps to keep your head and limbs close to the center of your body where forces applied to them do not have a large amount of leverage, and also helps to minimize the surface area of your body to limit how much area can be struck by debris. It certainly won't be comfortable, but it will be a great deal more survivable than sitting upright in your seat with your legs stretched across the aisle.

Answer 6

Why can`t they make the plane out of the same material they use

to make the black box flight recorder from.It seems to survive most

aviation accidents.Next time i fly again I`m going to reserve a place

inside the black box flight recorder.

Answer 7

it's so you can kiss your *** goodbye