Buckle up

I can vividly remember when the interstate highway system was finished, and driving to my uncle’s pool meant my father would pile us all in the station wagon and roar up the merge ramp and speed onto the highway (speed limit 70 mph). My brothers and I would roll around on the seats and my mother would say, “Tom, slow down.” He did not. And we’d fly up the highway completely unfettered. When the seat belt requirement came along—voluntary in 1968 and required in most states by 1984—my brother was a protester. I think he’s come around.

Airplane safety, though, is not like automobile safety. The goal of an aircraft seat belt is not just to save your life in the event of a crash, but to keep pilots and passengers in their seats during minor and more common events such as turbulence. The belt is protecting you against an up and down movement, unlike in a car. Pilots today may have a five-point harness like a race car, but shoulder harnesses have been required for all seats in small airplanes manufactured since 1986.

In older aircraft you may still find lap seat belts only (like in an airline seat), but the FAA says the use of shoulder harnesses reduces major injuries by 88 percent and fatalities by 20 percent. When introducing your passengers to the aircraft harness for the first time, you may get a little more familiar than you mean to, but it’s important everyone is buckled in properly.

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